GIFT  OF 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/americanchambersOOsturrich 


AMERICAN  CHAMBERS 
OF  COMMERCE 


COIttltamjs  College 

DAVm  A.  WELLS  PEIZE  ESSAYS 


#utn&ec4 

AMERICAN  CHAMBERS 
OF  COMMERCE 


BY 

KENNETH  STURGES,  M.A. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

DEPARTMENT  OF  POLITICAL  SCIENCE 

OF  WILLIAMS  COLLEGE 

^p  iHoffat,  parH  anli  €ompanp»  Bm  |9odi 

1915 


W.  F.  BRAINARO 

BOOK    MANUFACTURER 
NEW    YORK 


TO  MY  MOTHER 


298906 


PREFACE 

This  is  the  fourth  essay  published  by  the 
Department  of  Political  Science  of  Williams 
College  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  David 
Ames  Wells  of  the  class  of  1847.  Under  the 
terms  of  the  bequest,  a  prize  of  $500  "in  gold 
coin  of  standard  weight  and  fineness,  or  in  the 
form  of  a  medal  of  gold  suitably  inscribed,  at 
the  option  of  the  recipient,"  is  offered  annually 
for  the  best  essay  upon  a  subject  in  any  one  of 
a  number  of  branches  of  political  science. 
The  will  provides  that,  if  no  essay  deemed 
worthy  of  the  prize  be  presented  in  any  year, 
the  award  shall  be  withheld  for  that  year. 
The  competition  is  limited  to  Senior  under- 
graduates and  to  graduates  of  Williams  Col- 
lege of  not  more  than  three  years'  standing. 

The  prize  was  first  awarded  in  1905,  the 
successful  essay,  "The  Contributions  of  the 
Landed  Man  to  Civil  Liberty,"  by  Elwin 
Lawrence  Page,  being  published  in  that  year. 


viii  PREFACE 

The  second  award  was  to  Shepard  Ashman 
Morgan,  whose  essay,  "The  History  of  Parh- 
amentary  Taxation  in  England,"  was  pub- 
lished in  1911.  The  third  was  to  William 
Smith  McClellan.  His  essay,  "Smuggling 
in  the  American  Colonies,"  was  pubhshed  in 
1912. 

The  subject  of  the  present  essay  was  an- 
nounced in  June,  1913.  The  competition  was 
open  to  the  classes  of  1911  to  1914  inclusive, 
and  the  prize  was  awarded  to  Kenneth  Mon- 
tague Sturges  of  the  class  of  1911. 

The  following  provision  of  the  will  of  the 
founder  of  the  competition  governs  the  selec- 
tion and  treatment  of  the  subjects  of  the  es- 
says : 

"No  subjects  shall  be  selected  for  competi- 
tive writing  or  investigation  and  no  essay  shall 
be  considered  which  in  any  way  advocates  or 
defends  the  spoliation  of  property  under  form 
or  process  of  law;  or  the  restriction  of  com- 
merce in  times  of  peace  by  legislation,  except 
for  moral  or  sanitary  purposes;  or  the  enact- 
ment of  usury  laws ;  or  the  impairment  of  con- 
tracts by  the  debasement  of  coin;  or  the  issue 
and  use  by  Government  of  irredeemable  notes 


PREFACE  ix 

or  promises  to  pay  intended  to  be  used  as  cur- 
rency and  as  a  substitute  for  money;  or  which 
defends  the  endowment  of  such  *paper,'  'notes,' 
and  'promises  to  pay'  with  the  legal  tender 
quality." 

Mr.  Sturges  and  his  competitors  were  noti- 
fied that,  while  the  form  of  the  essay  and  the 
treatment  of  the  subject  were  left  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  writer  in  each  case,  it  was  de- 
sired that  the  following  be  included  in  the 
essays : 

(a)  The  origin  and  early  history  of  boards 
of  trade,  chambers  of  commerce  and  kindred 
organizations  in  the  United  States; 

(b)  A  survey  of  the  functions  of  these 
bodies,  contrasting  those  of  the  early  period 
with  those  of  the  present; 

(c)  A  study  of  some  one  organization  based 
on  its  publications  and  activities. 

H.  A.  Garfield, 

President. 
Williams  College, 

WiLLIAMSTOWN,  MaSS.,  DeC.    1,  1914. 


INTRODUCTION 

In  recent  years  chambers  of  commerce  have 
been  recognized  as  important  factors  in  the 
growth  and  welfare  of  our  cities.  The  aim  of 
the  present  study  is  to  show  the  development 
of  these  bodies  in  the  United  States,  with  par- 
ticular reference  to  their  modern  functions  as 
civic  organizations.  In  this  country  the  terms 
"board  of  trade,"  "commercial  club,"  and 
''chamber  of  commerce"  are  synonymous,  rep- 
resenting the  common  type  of  association  com- 
posed of  business  men.  They  are,  therefore, 
used  interchangeably  in  the  following  pages. 

The  scope  of  this  book  and  the  arrangement 
of  material  require  some  words  of  explanation. 
As  indicated  by  frequent  notes,  the  volume  is 
not  an  original  treatise,  but  in  many  respects 
a  compilation  of  facts  and  ideas  from  a  va- 
riety of  sources.  The  newness  of  the  subject 
and  the  resultant  lack  of  available  literature 
combine  to  lend  value  to  this  attempt  to  collect 
the  material  scattered  through  periodicals,  or- 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

ganization  reports,  and  pamphlets.  While  it 
does  not  pretend  to  cover  all  phases  of  the  sub- 
ject, the  book  aims  to  point  out  the  main  lines 
of  the  evolution  of  the  chamber  of  commerce 
from  a  business  organization  to  a  civic  agency, 
and  to  suggest  where  a  fuller  treatment  of  any 
particular  point  may  be  found.  For  this  rea- 
son and  in  order  to  provide  a  means  of  tracing 
facts  to  their  original  sources,  the  notes  have 
been  made  as  complete  as  possible. 

The  libraries  visited  in  the  search  for  data 
include  the  New  York  Public  Library,  the 
New  York  Municipal  Reference  Library,  the 
Brooklyn  Public  Library,  Montague  Street 
Branch, — formerly  the  Mercantile  Library  of 
Brooklyn, — and  the  Library  of  the  School  of 
Commerce,  Accounts,  and  Finance,  New  York 
University.  The  author  is  indebted  to  Secre- 
tary Sereno  S.  Pratt  of  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  for  valuable  information 
concerning  the  New  York  Chamber  as  well  as 
for  the  opportunity  to  secure  historical  data 
in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Library. 

Approximately  half  a  hundred  letters  have 
been  received  from  commercial  secretaries  and 
others  active  in  organization  work  in  response 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

to  inquiries.  By  this  means  the  author  has 
supplemented  and  revised  to  the  present  time 
the  statements  found  in  reports  and  articles 
under  various  dates.  Thanks  are  especially 
due  to  Secretary  Munson  Havens  of  the  Cleve- 
land Chamber  of  Commerce,  Mr.  Ryerson 
Ritchie,  Ex-President  of  that  body,  and  Pres- 
ident Garfield  of  Williams  College  for  their 
generous  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume.  Assistant-Professor  Cherington  of 
the  Harvard  University  Graduate  School  of 
Business  Administration  kindly  acted  as  critic 
of  Chapter  IV,  The  Federation  Movement, 
while  Mr.  Edwin  Baxter,  Former  Industrial 
Commissioner  of  the  Cleveland  Chamber,  un- 
dertook a  similar  task  in  the  revision  of  Chap- 
ter VII,  The  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. 

Kenneth  Sturges. 
New  York,  Dec.  1, 1914. 


TABLE     OF     CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     Origins ^  ^ 

II  Eaely  History  in  the  United  States  .  11   ^ 

III  A  Century  of  Development      .      .      .  41  \ 

IV  The  Federation  Movement      .      .      .  55^ 

V  Modern  Structural,  Principles      .      .  81  - 

VI     The  Training  aijtd  Work  of  the  Com- 
mercial Secretary 117 

VII     The  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce    137 

VIII     City  Government  Reform    .      .      .      .169 

IX     Co-operation  with  Municipal  Author- 
ities        193  "^ 

X     Civic  Improvement 215  "^^ 

XI     Competition  Between  Cities     .      .      .  231 

Appendix 257 

Bibliography 265 

Index 269 


ORIGINS 


AMERICAN  CHAMBERS 
OF  COMMERCE 

CHAPTER  I 

ORIGINS 

Commercial  organizations  developed  from 
the  primitive  methods  that  brought  together 
buyer  and  seller,  facilitating  the  distribution 
of  products  and  manufactures.  The  fairs  and 
merchant  guilds  of  mediaeval  Europe  were, 
however,  the  actual  prototypes  of  the  modern 
board  of  trade.  Since  the  time  when  these  or- 
ganizations flourished,  the  essential  character- 
istics of  trade  and  commerce  have  not  changed. 

The  fairs  of  the  twelfth  century  were  a  re-  Mediaeval 

Fairs 

suit  of  the  church  festivals,  which  periodically 
drew  crowds  of  people  to  the  towns  and  thus 
enabled  them  to  meet  for  the  exchange  of  com- 
modities. Growing  in  importance  until  the 
fifteenth  century,  the  fairs  then  began  to  de- 
cline.    This  fact  was  due  to  the  establishment 

3 


4  AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

of  markets  in  the  principal  cities,  which  ren- 
dered it  unnecessary  to  wait  until  fair-time  in 
order  to  purchase  supplies.  Having  lost  their 
original  function,  fairs  developed  into  places 
of  amusement  and  have  ever  since  retained 
this  character. 

The  merchant  guilds  arose  in  feudal  times 

and  were  at  first  private  institutions,  formed 

Merchant      to   protect   the   interests    of   their   members, 

Ouilds 

wealthy  traders  who  found  themselves  excluded 
from  aristocratic  society  by  virtue  of  their 
plebeian  occupation.  With  the  breaking  up 
of  the  feudal  system  the  guilds  grew  in  power 
and  in  the  twelfth  century  became  semi-public 
bodies  in  England  as  well  as  in  some  conti- 
nental cities,  holding  charters  which  entitled 
them  to  a  monopoly  of  the  local  trade.  As  it 
provides  a  meeting-place  for  traders,  the  mod- 
ern commercial  association  to  this  extent  re- 
sembles the  mediaeval  fair,  and  in  protecting 
the  interests  of  its  members  it  is  like  the  mer- 
chant guild. 

In  the  fifteenth  century  the  guild  system 
gradually  disintegrated  and  this  fact  accounts 
for  the  founding  of  chambers  of  commerce  to 
supply  the  needs  of  the  traders.     The  name. 


/ 

ORIGINS 


"chamber  of  commerce,"  was  first  applied  to  pirgt 
an  association  formed  by  merchants  of  Mar-  co^erce*' 
seilles  early  in  the  fifteenth  century,  though 
not  definitely  organized  until  1650.     In  addi- 
tion to  dealing  with  trade  matters  this  body 
exercised  limited  administrative  authority. 

From  early  times  chambers  of  commerce  in 
France  have  been  closely  affiliated  with  the 
government  and  this  is  also  true  of  these  or- 
ganizations in  several  European  countries. 
Thus  German  chambers  of  commerce,  about 
150  in  number,  are  regulated  by  laws  of  the 
various  German  states,  while  having  the  char- 
acter of  official  institutions.  Their  functions 
are  to  promote  and  to  represent  the  interests 
of  commerce  and  industry.  In  Germany, 
moreover,  the  chamber  of  commerce  proper 
corresponds  to  the  board  of  directors  in  an 
American  body.  While  a  German  chamber 
of  commerce,  as  an  organization,  includes  all 
the  registered  business  men  of  the  locality  who 
pay  a  certain  tax  and  thus  have  the  right  to 
participate  in  the  chamber's  elections,  the  ex- 
pression, "chamber  of  commerce,"  in  a  stricter 
sense  means  only  the  council  chosen  by  the 
voters. 


AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


First 
Board  of 
Trade 


History 


The  first  board  of  trade  was  formed  in  1636 
by  Charles  I  of  England.  At  that  time  regu- 
lation of  commerce  was  a  royal  prerogative  and 
the  board  acted  as  an  advisory  committee.  In 
1655  Cromwell  re-established  this  council.  It 
is  still  an  important  part  of  the  English  gov- 
ernmental system,  having  existed  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  years  continuously  since 
Cromwell's  time.  "Board  of  trade"  is  clearly 
an  Anglo-Saxon  term,  meaning  in  general  a 
local  body  formed  in  the  interests  of  commerce. 
On  the  European  continent,  however,  this  term 
or  its  equivalent  is  frequently  applied  to 
bourses  or  stock  exchanges. 

For  further  details  of  the  history  of  commer- 
cial organizations  in  England  and  European 
countries  the  following  authorities  are  avail- 
able: C.  A.  Legg,  The  Law  of  Commercial 
Exchanges,  1913.  L.  H.  Bisbee  and  J.  C. 
Simonds,  The  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Produce 
Exchfinge,  1884.  Lorenzo  Sabine,  "The  Ori- 
gin of  Boards  of  Trade,"  contained  in  1859 
Annual  Report  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade, 
and  reprinted  in  Bankers'  Magazine,  Vol. 
XIII,  pages  678-692.  Frederick  Fraley, 
"Origin   and   History  of   Boards   of   Trade, 


ORIGINS  7 

Chambers  of  Commerce,  Etc.,"  contained  in 
1889  Annual  Report  of  the  Philadelphia 
Board  of  Trade.  J.  H.  Ricketson,  Boards  of 
Trade,  Their  Origins,  History,  Etc,  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 1878.  Wilfred  H.  Schoff,  American 
Commercial  Institutions:  Fourth  of  a  Series  of 
Monographs  on  American  Social  Economics, 
1900.  Special  Agents  Series,  No.  78,  Ger- 
man Commercial  Organizations,  published  by 
the  Department  of  Commerce,  Bureau  of  For- 
eign and  Domestic  Commerce,  Washington, 
D.  C,  1914. 

The  English  board  of  trade  and  the  conti- 
nental chamber  of  commerce  have  at  the  pres- 
ent time  little  in  common  with  American  or- 
ganizations similarly  named.  The  most  im- 
portant distinction  arises  from  the  fact  that 
our  commercial  bodies  have  not  yet  acquired 
an  official  status.  The  attempts  of  chambers 
of  commerce  to  secure  governmental  recogni- 
tion in  this  country  are  described  in  Chapter 
IV,  The  Federation  Movement.  American 
boards  of  trade  and  chambers  of  commerce  may 
be  defined  as  bodies  of  local  business  and  pro- 
fessional men,  engaged  in  improving  trade  con- 


8  AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ditions,  urging  legislation  beneficial  to  com- 
merce and  the  social  welfare,  and,  most  impor- 
tant, encouraging  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  their  several  communities. 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES 


CHAPTER  II 

EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

The  oldest  commercial  organization  in  this 
country  is  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  New  York 
State  of  New  York,  fomided  1768  in  New  commerce^ 
York  City.  The  period  in  which  this  associa- 
tion was  formed  was  one  of  great  historic  in- 
terest. For  several  years  the  American  col- 
onists had  resented  the  imposition  of  taxes  by 
the  English  government.  The  Stamp  Act  of 
1765,  prescribing  an  additional  tax,  excited  the 
spirit  of  a  people  that  had  failed  to  obtain  the 
right  of  representation. 

New  York  led  the  opposition  to  this  tax, 
which  was  to  take  effect  November  first,  1765. 
Before  that  date  the  stamps  arrived  in  New 
York  harbor,  on  board  a  merchant  vessel.  As 
a  precautionary  measure  the  English  governor 
promptly  ordered  them  transferred  to  one  of 
the  ships  of  war  and,  later,  to  his  own  quarters 
inside  the  fort.     The  day  before  the  tax  was  to 

become   effective,   representative   New   York 

11 


12        AMERICAN  CHAMBEES  OF  COMMERCE 

traders  met  and  resolved  not  to  import  any 
goods  from  England.  Street  riots  and  dem- 
onstrations followed;  and,  the  demand  for  the 
surrender  of  the  obnoxious  stamps  becoming 
insistent,  the  governor  caused  them  to  be  placed 
in  the  hands  of  Mayor  John  Cruger  on  behalf 
of  the  citizens.  Early  in  the  following  year 
the  tax  was  repealed  and  in  1770  the  grateful 
colonists  erected  a  statue  to  William  Pitt,  the 
English  statesman  and  champion  of  their 
cause.^ 

In  the  midst  of  these  stirring  times  twenty 
New  York  merchants  met  at  Bolton  and  Sigel's 
Tavern^  and  founded  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, stating  the  purpose  of  their  organiza- 
tion in  these  words : 

*' Whereas,  mercantile  societies  have  been 
found  very  usefull  in  tradeing  cities  for  pro- 
moting and  encouraging  commerce,  support- 
ing industry,   adjusting  disputes  relative  to 

1  Charles  King,  Charter  and  By-laws  with  a  History  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Published 
1855  by  the  New  York  Chamber.  Reference  is  to  pages  43-46. 
Another  edition  of  this  work  is:  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  State  of  New  York,    1848. 

2  Later  known  as  Fraunces'  Tavern  (often  written  Fraunce's, 
in  error),  where  Washington  bid  farewell  to  his  officers, 
December  4,  1783.  The  building  still  stands  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Broad  and  Pearl  Streets. 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       13 

trade  and  navigation,  and  procuring  such  laws 
and  regulations  as  may  be  found  necessary  for 
the  benefit  of  trade  in  general.  .  .  .  For  which 
purpose  and  to  establish  such  a  society  in  the 
City  of  New  York  the  following  persons  con- 
vened on  the  first  Tuesday  in,  and  being  the 
5th  day  of,  April,  1768.  .  .  ."  ^ 

Here  in  the  records  follows  the  list  of  twenty 
founders.  Among  them  are  to  be  noted  John  i^^ 
Cruger,  Mayor  of  New  York  and  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber;  and  Isaac  Low,  the  so- 
ciety's seventh  president.  The  latter  is  an  ex- 
ceptionally notable  figure  in  the  history  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  disputes  with  England  he  sympathized 
with  the  colonists,  but  later  changed  his  views 
and  became  "the  victim  of  steadfast  loyalty."  * 
This  fact  caused  him  to  lose  his  American  es- 
tates in  1779  through  confiscation  by  the  new 
government;  and  at  the  end  of  the  war  he  left 
the  country  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Eng- 
land. 

In  1769  the  members  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  moved  their  headquarters  and  be- 

a  J.  A.  Stevens,  Colonial  Records  of  the  New  York  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  1768-1784,  page  5.  King,  op.  cit.,  page  46,  gives 
date  as  1758,  evidently  a  typographical  error. 

*  King,  op.  cit.,  page  63. 


14        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

gan  to  hold  meetings,  by  permission  of  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation,  in  a  room  over  the 
Merchants  Exchange.^  In  the  course  of  this 
year  the  Enghsh  Parliament  passed  an  act  im- 
posing duties  on  tea,  paper,  and  other  articles, 
professedly  for  revenue  and  not  with  a  view 
to  regulate  commerce.  This  explanation,  it 
seems,  did  not  please  the  colonists  and  almost 
immediately  associations  were  formed  by  mer- 
chants in  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadel- 
phia, for  the  non-importation  of  English 
goods.  This  movement  spread  over  all  the 
Colonies:^  The  New  York  Chamber  included 
among  its  members,  however,  many  who  con- 
tinued throughout  to  be  loyal  British  subjects; 
and  in  the  taxation  disputes  its  attitude  was  not 
hostile  to  England.     In  1770  President  John 

8  A  building  constructed  on  arches  across  the  foot  of  Broad 
Street  on  a  line  with  Water  Street.  Under  these  arches 
itinerant  preachers  occasionally  held  forth.  After  the  Revo- 
lution the  building  was  destroyed.     King,  o'p.  cit.,  page  51. 

6  The  Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  New  York  approved  the 
popular  feeling  and  in  the  minutes  of  the  Chamber,  May  2, 
1769,  is  the  following:  "The  President  reported  that  the  Hon- 
ourable the  House  of  Assembly  had  directed  him  to  signify 
their  thanks  to  the  Merchants  of  this  City  and  Colony,  for 
their  patriotic  conduct  in  declining  the  importation  of  goods 
from  Great  Britain  at  this  juncture — and  until  the  acts  of 
Parliament,  which  the  Assembly  had  declared  unconstitutional 
and  subversive  to  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  this 
Colony,   should  be  repealed." 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       15 

Cruger  petitioned  Lieutenant  Governor  Col- 
den  of  the  Province  of  New  York  for  a  royal 
charter,  so  that  the  society  might  be  incorpo- 
rated as  a  body  politic.  The  petition  was  duly 
granted^ 

The  first  period  of  the  early  history  of  the  First 
Chamber  of  Commerce  covers  seven  years, —  Period 
from  its  origin  to  1775.  In  the  first  six  years 
the  activity  of  this  organization  was  well  sus- 
tained. Particularly  efficient  work  was  done 
by  the  Arbitration  Committee,  appointed 
every  month  for  the  hearing  and  adjustment 
of  commercial  disputes.^  A  source  of  great 
trouble  at  that  time  was  a  depreciated  and  ir- 

7  In  the  royal  charter  of  1770  this  organization  was  desig- 
nated as  "The  Corporation  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  in  America";  but  in  the  confirma- 
tion of  the  charter  by  the  New  York  State  Legislature  in  1784 
it  was  called  "The  Corporation  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  the  State  of  New  York."  This  name  is  still  retained 
though  the  Chamber  is  not  a  state  organization.  The  name 
may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  when  re-incorporated  in 
1784  the  New  York  Chamber  was  the  only  association  of  its 
kind  in  the  State. 

8  See  J.  W.  Spangler's  "Commercial  Arbitration."  Bankers* 
Magazine,  Vol.  LXXXV,  page  356,  for  work  of  arbitration  com- 
mittees in  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Also:  Earliest  Arbitration  Records  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Committee  minutes, 
1779-1792,  printed  from  the  original  manuscript  in  the  New 
York  Public  Library  with  biographical  and  other  notes. 
Press  of  the  Chamber,  1913. 


16        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

regular  currency;  foreign  coins,  diminished  in 
value  by  a  variety  of  means,  were  being  circu- 
lated. To  meet  this  condition  of  affairs,  it 
was  resolved  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Isaac  Low, 
August  1770: 

**that  the  members  of  the  Corporation  will  in 
future  pay  and  receive  half  Johanneses  ^  weigh- 
ing nine  pennyweight  at  three  pounds  four 
shillings,  and  for  every  grain  they  weigh  more 
to  allow  three  pence  and  to  deduct  four  pence 
for  every  grain  they  weigh  less." 


10 


In  the  minutes  of  the  January  meeting, 
1774,  it  is  stated  that  the  Chamber  was  com- 
pelled to  reverse  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that 
its  members  would  neither  receive  nor  deal  in 
New  Jersey  paper  money  at  its  current  rate, 
as  many  members  had  resigned  "to  avoid  the 
obligation  of  this  resolve"  and  the  organization 
was  in  danger  of  going  out  of  existence  be- 
cause it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  quorum  for 
a  meeting.  ^^  On  motion,  all  those  who  had  re- 
signed were  then  invited  to  submit  their  names 
to  be  voted  on  for  membership. 

During  the  months  July  1774  to  May  1775 

»  Portuguese  gold  coins,  now  obsolete. 

10  Stevens,  op.  cit.,  page  106. 

11  King,  op.   cit.,  page  58. 


EAELY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       17 

no  business  was  transacted,  but  at  the  end  of 
that  time  a  meeting  was  called  for  the  election 
of  officers,  Isaac  Low  receiving  the  presidency. 
His  long  administration  from  1775  to  1783  second 
marks  the  second  period  of  the  Chamber's  early  Period 
history.  During  these  years  the  British  forces 
occupied  New  York,  aided  actively  by  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce.  At  that  time 
its  membership  consisted  almost  entirely  of 
Loyalists,  those  who  opposed  the  British  rule 
having  either  entered  the  service  or  fled  from 
the  city.^^  During  this  period  the  records  of 
the  Chamber  refer  to  the  Americans  as  "rebels" 
and  designate  the  war  as  "unnatural."  ^^ 

In  1779  the  association  made  another  move, 
establishing  its  headquarters  in  the  Merchants' 
Coffee  House,^*  where  it  remained  until  1795.^^ 
At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Chamber  after  the 
evacuation  of  the  city  by  the  British  in  1783 
there  were  proposed  for  membership  the  names 

12  King,  op.  cit.,  page  64. 

13  King,   op.   cit.,  page   62. 

1*  Located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Wall  and  Water 
Streets. 

15  Stevens,  op.  cit.,  page  341,  follows  the  original  minutes 
of  the  Chamber  in  which  this  date,  through  error,  is  given 
as  1817;  but  his  Erratum  at  the  end  of  the  book  makes  the 
proper  correction. 


18         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

of  many  who  had  been  absent  during  the  war 
or  engaged  in  the  American  service.  In  1784 
the  total  nmnber  of  members  since  the  found- 
ing of  the  organization  was  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  and  the  average  attendance  at  meet- 
ings was  twenty-six/^ 

A  meeting  on  April  20, 1784,  was  called  un- 
Be-incor-      dcr  a  law  passcd  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
of  New  York, 

"upon  the  petition  of  many  members  who  dis- 
sented from  the  course  of  the  Chamber  while 
the  city  was  in  the  occupation  of  the  British 
and  were  advised  that  the  charter  was  forfeited 
by  reason  of  the  misuser  and  nonuser  of  the 
same  and  therefore  required  a  new  sanction 
from  the  new  state."  ^^ 

Following  this  re-incorporation  the  Cham- 
ber enjoyed  several  active  years.  Prominent 
among  its  minutes  is  a  resolution  in  1784  to 
prevent  by  all  possible  methods  "the  scandal- 
ous practice  of  smuggling."  Other  interesting 
matters  brought  up  for  discussion  were  "a  pro- 
posal to  connect  the  City  of  New  York  by  arti- 
ficial navigation  with  the  Great  Lakes"  in  1786 
and  a  memorial  in  the  same  year,  "setting  forth 

16  Stevens,  op.  cit.,  page  300. 

17  King,   op.   cit.,  page  65. 


EAELY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       19 

the  evils  and  immorality  of  a  scheme  for  issu- 
ing paper  money  and  making  it  a  legal  tender." 
In  1795  the  society  moved  to  the  Tontine  Cof- 
fee House.^^ 

A  yellow  fever  epidemic  visiting  New  York  inactivity: 
in  1798  interrupted  the  regular  meetings  of  the 
Chamber  and  was  the  cause  of  their  subsequent 
omission  during  the  summer  months  of  the  year. 
Beginning  in  1807  came  a  long  period  of  inac- 
tivity. It  was  not,  in  fact,  until  two  years 
after  the  1815  Peace  Treaty  with  England 
that  the  members  took  steps  to  reorganize, 
meetings  being  resumed  at  the  Tontine.  Un- 
der the  leadership  of  Cornelius  Ray,  a  wealthy 
New  York  merchant,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce began  an  active  existence  which  has  con- 
tinued unbroken  to  the  present  time. 

The  New  York  Chamber  has  always  main-  Present 
tained  a  conservative  policy.  It  was  estab-  impo^rtance 
lished  to  promote  the  commercial,  financial, 
and  industrial  interests  of  New  York  and  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  so  doing.  Its 
founding  marked  the  beginning  of  organized 
commerce  in  this  country.     The  routine  work 

18  Located  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Wall  and  Water 
Streets.  The  narrow  range  of  the  Chamber's  migrations 
shows  the  historic  continuity  of  New  York's  business  center. 


20        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

of  this  body,  now  located  in  its  own  magnificent 
building  on  Liberty  Street/^  centers  in  a  meet- 
ing held  once  a  month,  at  which  time  an  address 
is  made  by  some  prominent  speaker  and  com- 
mittee reports  are  presented.  The  policies  of 
the  Chamber  are  not  determined  by  an  execu- 
tive committee  or  board  of  directors  as  in  many 
commercial  bodies,  but  by  the  whole  member- 
ship. The  success  of  this  arrangement,  known 
as  the  "town-meeting"  plan,  is  attributable  to 
the  fact  that  the  Chamber  takes  up  relatively 
few  matters,  so  that  the  members  can  give  each 
one  their  thoughtful  attention.  The  number 
of  members  is  limited  to  fifteen  hundred  and 
the  privilege  of  membership  is  regarded  as  a 
coveted  honor. 

An  interesting  story  attaches  to  the  Great 
Great  Seal  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  "bearing  the 

date  1770,  the  year  of  the  society's  incorpora- 
tion. Manufactured  in  England  at  a  cost  of 
nineteen  guineas,  the  seal  is  of  solid  silver  and 
about  three  inches  in  diameter.  When  the 
British  forces  evacuated  New  York  in  1783 
the  seal  disappeared ;  but  by  mere  chance  years 

19  For  an  account  of  the  dedication  of  this  building  see: 
"The  New  Chamber  of  Commerce."  The  Outlook,  1903,  Vol. 
LXXIl,  pages  665-666. 


Seal 


EAELY  HISTOEY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       21 

afterward  it  was  found  in  a  sort  of  curiosity 
shop  in  London.  Attempts  have  been  made  to 
explain  its  removal,  but  no  facts  are  obtain- 
able.^*^ Until  1905  the  original  seal  was  in 
active  service,  and  at  that  time,  being  much 
worn  from  constant  use,  it  was  replaced  by  a 
new  seal,  its  exact  dupUcate. 

The  varied  history  of  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  has  attracted  many  writers. 
For  instance  see:  Lorenzo  Sabine,  "The  Ori- 
gin of  Boards  of  Trade,"  see  above,  page  6. 
Richard  Wheatley,  "The  New  York  Chamber 
of  Commerce,"  Harper's  Magazine,  Vol. 
LXXXIII,  page  502  ff.  September  1891. 
Walter  L.  Hawley,  "New  York's  Oldest  Cor- 
poration," Munsey's  Magazine^  Vol.  XXVI, 

20  A  letter  written  by  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Secretary  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1843-1849,  and  addressed  to 
Charles  King,  the  author  of  a  history  of  The  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  furnishes  a  reasonable  explana- 
tion of  the  disappearance  of  the  seal.  "If  I  mistake  not," 
writes  Mr.  Wetmore,  "Anthony  Van  Dam,  who  was  the  first 
Secretary  of  the  Chamber,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office 
until  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  went  to  England  among  the 
Royalists  expatriated  at  that  period.  ...  Is  it  not  fair  to 
suppose  that  through  some  inadvertency  of  his,  as  he  was  the 
legal  custodier  of  the  article,  our  seal  found  its  way  to  Lon- 
don, and  after  his  death,  into  the  hands  of  the  dealer  in  sec- 
ond-hand wares?"  King,  op.  cit.,  page  82.  Another  theory 
is  that  the  seal  left  the  country  in  the  possession  of  Isaac 
Low,  the  last  President  of  the  Chamber  in  the  Colonial  Period 
of  its  history. 


22        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

page  39  ff.,  October  1901.  Franklin  Mat- 
thews, "The  Organized  Conscience  of  the 
Rich,"  in  The  World's  Work,  Vol.  IV,  pages 
2626-2631,  October  1902.  "History  of  The 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,"  Harper's 
Weekly,  Vol.  XL VI,  pages  1720-1722,  Nov. 
15,  1902. 

MERCANTILE   ASSOCIATIONS  IN    BOSTON 

The  early  history  of  commercial  organiza- 
tions in  Boston,  as  in  New  York,  reflects  the 
unrest  of  the  Revolution.  When  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce  received  its  royal 
charter  from  England  in  1770,  the  Boston 
merchants  were  out  of  favor  with  the  English 
government  and  could  not  have  secured  like 
recognition.  So  actively  did  they  resist  the 
laws  of  trade  and  navigation  that  England  sent 
soldiers  and  ships  to  awe  them  into  submission. 
Troops  were  quartered  in  the  very  room  that 
the  traders  used  as  an  exchange.  The  Eng- 
lish government  also  adopted  radical  measures, 
ordering  vessels  and  merchandise  seized;  and 
many  offending  merchants  were  summoned  to 
the  Royal  Admiralty  Court  and  forced  to  pay 
ruinous  fines.^^ 

21  "The  Origin  of  Boards  of  Trade,"  address  by  Lorenzo 


EAELY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES      23 

The  harsh  discipline  meted  out  to  the  Bos- 
ton merchants  effectually  frustrated  their  first 
attempts  to  form  an  organization.  About  the  Early 
year  1805,  however,  the  Boston  Importing  Bodies 
Company  was  started  for  the  purpose  of  regu- 
lating the  trade  with  London  and  Liverpool, 
"in  a  way  best  to  suit  the  importers."  ^^  The 
company  purchased  three  or  four  ocean  vessels 
and  kept  them  employed  until  the  War  of  1812 
interrupted  commerce  with  England;  where- 
upon the  association  closed  its  affairs. 

After  the  Peace  of  1815  there  was  organized 
the  New  England  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Manufactures  and  Mechanic  Arts.  For 
several  years  this  body  conducted  semi-annual 
public  sales  of  domestic  goods.  These  sales 
were  very  successful,  purchasers  coming  to 
Boston  from  various  parts  of  the  country.  In 
1859  the  society  was  reported  as  still  retaining 
its  corporate  existence.^^ 

On  January  11,  1836,  the  merchants  and 

Sabine,  Secretary  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade,  read  at 
a  meeting  of  the  Board  at  its  rooms,  35  Merchants' 
Exchange,  Wednesday,  January  19,  1859.  Printed  in  the  1859 
report  of  that  body;  reprinted  in  Bankers'  Magazine,  Vol. 
XIII,  pages  678-692. 

23  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  24. 

22  Sabine,  op,  cit.,  page  24. 


24        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Chamber  traders  of  Boston  met  at  the  Old  Council 
Commerce  Room,  Court  Square,  for  the  purpose  of  form- 
ing a  chamber  of  commerce.  A  week  later 
the  association  adopted  a  constitution  and  by- 
laws, the  number  of  members  being  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four.  William  Sturgis  was 
elected  president  and  three  vice-presidents: 
Thomas  B.  Wales,  Robert  G.  Shaw,  and  David 
Henshaw,  were  chosen.^*  The  original  stand- 
ing committees  were  the  Committee  of  In- 
quiry and  the  Committee  of  Reference.  It  is 
not  stated  what  their  functions  were,  but  the 
latter  was  probably  a  board  of  conmiercial  ar- 
bitration.^^ 

The  early  minutes  of  the  Chamber  record 
frequent  action  on  commercial  questions,  for 
example,  a  recommendation  to  dealers  in  ex- 
change on  England  to  buy,  sell,  and  quote  the 
pound  sterling  in  federal  money.  There  also 
appears  the  resolution,  "that  in  the  measure- 
ment of  cotton,  woollen,  and  linen  goods,  a 
yard   is   just   thirty-six   inches   and  not   the 

24  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  25,  says:  "In  this  mention  of  the 
principal  oflBicers  of  the  Chamber,  we  pronounce  names  that 
will  never  disappear  from  the  annals  of  the  humane  and  lit- 
erary institutions  of  Massachusetts;  names  widely  known  and 
widely  blessed." 

25  Sabine,  op.  cit,  page  26. 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES      25 

breadth  of  the  thumb  more,"  an  early  effort 
to  establish  uniformity  in  mercantile  usages.^^ 
Notwithstanding  the  activity  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  during  the  first  years  of  its 
existence  the  members  soon  lost  interest  in  the 
association's  welfare,  with  the  result  that  in  Dissolution 
1842,  only  six  years  after  its  founding,  disso- 
lution was  proposed.  On  February  first  of 
that  year  the  Chamber  voted: 

**that  a  meeting  of  the  President  and  Directors 
be  called  for  the  purpose  of  taking  measures, 
if  any  can  be  devised,  to  infuse  more  vigor 
into  the  operations  of  this  association,  that  it 
may  be  more  useful  to  the  mercantile  commu- 
nity, and  if  in  the  opinion  of  the  officers  no  such 
measures  can  be  taken,  then  to  consider  the  ex- 
pediency of  dissolving  the  association." 


27 


On  April  fifth  following,  the  matter  was 
taken  up  by  the  directors,  who  postponed  their 
decision  indefinitely.  The  last  business  trans- 
acted was  in  March  1843,  when  the  secretary 
submitted  a  communication  from  Canada,  "on 
the  subject  of  a  railroad  in  the  direction  of  that 
colony."  ^^ 

2«  Sabine,  op.  cit,  page  26. 

27  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  26. 

28  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  26. 


26        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

In  1854,  eleven  years  later,  the  Boston  mer- 
Board  chants  formed  the  Board  of  Trade,  incorpo- 

Trade  rated  the  same  year  by  an  act  of  the  Legisla- 

ture.^^ The  "Government"  consisted  of  forty- 
six  persons:  a  president,  three  vice-presidents, 
the  members  of  four  standing  committees, 
twenty-four  directors,  and  a  treasurer.  The 
"admission  fee"  was  five  dollars  and  annual 
dues,  payable  in  advance  were  a  like  sum.^* 
In  addition  to  a  standing  committee  of  arbitra- 
tion, a  committee  of  appeals  was  instituted,  and 
under  certain  conditions  members  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  were  permitted  to  appeal  from  the 
decision  of  the  conmiittee  of  arbitration.^^ 
The  two  remaining  regular  committees  were 

29  Report  of  Boston  Board  of  Trade  1859,  page  216:— 
"An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade:  Section 
1.  James  M.  Beebe,  Silas  Potter,  James  C.  Converse,  their 
associates  and  successors,  are  hereby  made  a  corporation,  by 
the  name  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  trade  and  commerce,  in  the  city  of  Boston  and 
its  vicinity,  with  all  the  powers  and  privileges,  and  subject  to 
all  the  duties,  liabilities  and  restrictions,  set  forth  in  the 
forty-fourth  chapter  of  the  Revised  Statutes;  provided  how- 
tver,  that  this  act  shall  not  be  construed  to  authorize  said 
corporation  to  traffic  in  goods,  wares,  or  merchandise  of  any 
description.'* 

30  Report  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade,  1856,  page  154. 
By-laws;  Section  V.    Articles  1  and  2. 

31  There  could  be  no  appeal  if  the  amount  in  dispute  did 
not  exceed  $100, — or  in  any  case  that  had  been  decided 
unanimously  by  the  whole  committee,  imless  the  amount  was 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       27 

those  of  finance  and  of  "inquiry  into  the  causes 
of  shipwrecks."     The  former  audited  the  ac- 
counts of  the  organization  and  directed  its 
financial  poHcy.     The  function  of  the  latter  committee 
was  to  investigate  and,  when  possible,  fix  the  sMpwrecks 
responsibihty  for  maritime  accidents.^^ 

In  1857  the  number  of  casualties  to  Boston- 
owned  vessels  or  to  vessels  entering  the  port 
of  Boston  was  385.  The  five  members  of  the 
committee,  though  limiting  their  investigations 
to  cases  referred  to  them  by  underwriters  and 
ship-owners,  were  unable  to  do  all  that  was  re- 
quired of  them  and  accordingly  petitioned  the 
Board  of  Trade  for  a  paid  assistant.  This  re- 
quest being  denied,  the  committee  became  dis- 

over  $500.    Report  of  Boston   Board  of  Trade,   1856,  page 
154.     By-laws,  Sec.  VI,  Art.  4. 

32  "The  many  shipwrecks  and  serious  accidents  which  have 
at  all  times  happened  to  vessels  and  especially  the  sad  losses 
of  the  past  year,  have  occasioned  the  appointment  of  a 
Standing  Committee,  whose  duty  it  is  to  inquire  into  and 
record  the  causes  of  any  shipwrecks  or  serious  accidents  which 
may  hereafter  happen  to  vessels  owned  or  insured  in  Boston, 
or  the  cargoes  of  which  may  be  insured  here.  It  is  thought 
that  this  will  result,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  in  a  very 
valuable  statistical  register  of  the  causes  of  disasters  at 
sea, — valuable  to  underwriters,  to  all  owners  of  vessels,  and 
persons  engaged  in  navigation, — and  particularly  that  it  wiU 
have  an  immediate  good  effect  in  inducing  to  more  care  and 
attention  to  duty  on  the  part  of  practical  navigators.'*  Re- 
port of  Boston  Board  of  Trade,  1855,  page  3. 


28        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

gruntled  and  renewed  it  in  annual  reports  un- 
til 1862,  when  as  a  compromise  they  were  given 
two  additional  members,  bringing  the  number 
up  to  seven.  But,  unfortunately,  during  the 
year  following  they  were  not  asked  by  ship- 
owners or  insurance  firms  to  examine  into  any 
causes  of  shipwrecks.  This  fact  terminated 
the  series  of  detailed  reports  by  the  committee, 
although  the  annual  table  of  maritime  casual- 
ties was  not  discontinued  for  several  years. 
In  the  first  annual  report  of  the  Board  of 
KembeTsMp  Trade  issued  by  Secretary  Isaac  C.  Bates  in 
1855  and  containing  thirty-eight  pages,  it  is 
stated  that  the  number  admitted  to  member- 
ship at  the  date  of  organization  was  769.  But 
the  number  of  paid  memberships  according  to 
the  Treasurer's  report  of  that  year  was  only 
562,  to  which  must  be  added  a  few  delinquents 
in  calculating  the  actual  roll  of  the  society. 
This  discrepancy  is  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  Board  of  Trade  took  it  for  granted  that  the 
former  members  of  the  extinct  Chamber  of 
Conmierce  would  wish  to  join  the  new  organi- 
zation. It  happened,  however,  that  when  noti- 
fied of  election  191  refused,  "doubtless  because 
all    (of)    them  were  admitted  without  their 


EAELY  HISTORY  EN  THE  UNITED  STATES      29 

knowledge  or  consent,  and  because  they  had 
no  very  definite  idea  of  what  we  intended  to 
do." '' 

Contemporary  with  the  Boston  Board  of  Boston  ^ 

Trade  was  the  Boston  Corn  Exchange,  estab-  Exchange 
hshed  in  1855.  Its  meeting  place  for  nearly 
twenty  years  was  on  Commercial  Street  within 
a  stone's  throw  of  the  eastern  end  of  Quincy 
Market.  In  accordance  with  the  customs  of 
that  day  the  merchants  who  convened  there 
wore  tall  silk  hats  almost  without  exception. 
The  business  of  the  Exchange  was  interrupted 
at  eleven  and  four  o'clock  daily,  the  members 
then  adjourning  to  some  neighboring  tavern. 
"Some  merchants  indeed  made  more  frequent 
pilgrimages." 

About  1873  the  name  of  the  Corn  Exchange 
was  changed  to  that  of  the  Boston  Commercial 
Exchange,  which  later  on  moved  to  the  former 
post  office  building  on  State  Street.  That 
building  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Ex- 
change Building,  and  the  trading  room,  that  of 
the  present  Boston  Stock  Exchange.  Over 
the  entrance  to  the  building  was  an  especially 

sa  Report  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade,  1855,  page  15. 
The  secretary  adds:  "A  little  consideration  we  trust  will 
change  their  decision.'* 


30        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Seal 
of  the 
Chamber 


Commercial 

Bodies 

Merged 


fine  example  of  stone  carving,  said  to  have  been 
executed  by  an  Irish  sailor.  When  the  old 
building  was  demolished  the  stone  was  pre- 
served and  placed  in  the  walls  of  the  present 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  design  has 
since  been  adopted  as  the  seal  of  the  Chamber. 
It  represents  an  American  eagle  flying  above 
a  globe  which  is  surrounded  by  several  allegor- 
ical emblems.  Beneath,  resting  upon  bales  of 
merchandise,  are  two  cornucopiae  pouring 
forth  a  wealth  of  agricultural  and  horticultural 
products.^* 

In  1885  the  Boston  Commercial  Exchange 
and  the  Boston  Produce  Exchange  were  united 
under  the  title  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. A  consolidation  of  all  the  important 
commercial  organizations  in  Boston  occurred 
in  1909,  brought  about  largely  by  the  construc- 
tive and  executive  genius  of  Mr.  Ryerson 
Ritchie,  Ex-President  of  the  Cleveland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  The  bodies  now  merged  in 
the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  were  for- 
merly the  Boston  Merchants'  Association,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  1885,  and  the  Asso- 
ciated Board  of  Trade.     The  present  Chamber 

3*  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  Journal,  Nov.  *09,  pp.  48-50. 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES      31 

of  Commerce  building,  valued  at  $600,000, 
stands  at  the  corner  of  India  and  Milk  Streets. 
On  this  site  Boston  vessels  formerly  anchored. 
The  work  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, one  of  the  largest  and  most  efficient  or- 
ganizations of  its  kind  in  the  country,  is  partly 
described  in  Chapter  XI. 

PHILADELPHIA  COMMERCIAL  ORGANIZATIONS 

In  the  year  1801  a  Chamber  of  Commerce  chamber 
was  formed  by  the  merchants  of  Philadelphia.^'^  commerce 
Its  purpose  was  to  further  the  commercial  in- 
terests of  the  city  "by  carrying  into  effect,  such 
rules  and  regulations  as  may  from  time  to  time 
be  established,  with  respect  to  commerce." 
The  by-laws  provided  for  the  adjustment  by 
an  arbitration  committee  of  mercantile  differ- 
ences arising  among  its  members.  The  society 
had  its  origin  in  the  City  Tavern,  a  noted  hotel 
of  the  day.^' 

35  See  W.  H.  Schoff,  American  Commercial  Institutions, 
for  early  history  of  the  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade.  Note 
that  through  typographical  error  the  date  of  its  founding  is 
there  given  as  1802. 

36  "Origin  and  History  of  Boards  of  Trade,  Chambers  of 
Commerce,  etc.,"  address  by  Mr.  Frederick  Fraley,  delivered 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade,  January 
28,  1889;  printed  in  the  56th  annual  report  of  that  body. 
Reference  is  to  page  52. 


S2        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

An  early  authority  thus  describes  the  func- 
Fimctions      tions  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce : 

"Agreeably  to  the  rules  of  the  association 
published,  they  are  to  meet  once  a  month: 
thirteen  members  to  constitute  a  quorum.  The 
officers  are,  a  president,  two  vice-presidents, 
a  treasurer,  and  a  secretary,  chosen  annually, 
on  the  first  Monday  in  January.  The  secre- 
tary is  to  have  a  salary,  to  be  fixed  by  the  presi- 
dent and  vice-presidents.  On  the  day  of  their 
election,  or  as  soon  after  as  possible,  the  presi- 
dent and  vice-presidents  form  sixty  of  the 
members  of  the  society,  into  twelve  classes,  for 
the  purpose  of  serving  as  monthly  committees;, 
for  the  ensuing  year:  each  class  to  consist  of 
five  members,  three  of  whom  shall  be  competent 
to  the  transaction  of  business.  Members  neg- 
lecting to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  commit- 
tees, pay  fifty  cents  for  every  neglect. 

"The  duty  of  the  monthly  committee  is,  to 
adjust  and  determine  all  mercantile  disputes 
which  may  be  laid  before  them,  and  to  report 
their  proceedings  to  the  next  general  meeting. 
All  awards  are  to  be  recorded,  with  the  reasons 
of  the  award. 

"The  members  shall  in  no  case  refuse  to 
submit  any  matter  of  account  in  dispute,  or 
any  mercantile  difference  between  them  to  the 
final  arbitration  or  adjustment  of  those  mem- 
bers who  may  be  chosen  for  that  purpose :  but 
it  shall  be  at  the  option  of  the  parties  to  sub- 


EAELY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES      33 

mit  such  difference  to  the  committee  of  the 
month,  or  each  to  choose  a  member  of  the  so- 
ciety, who,  together  with  the  chairman  of  the 
month,  shall  determine  the  matter  in  dispute. 
.  .  .  Members  must  be  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  residents  of  Philadelphia ;  and  must 
be  nominated  one  month  before  they  can  be 
chosen."  ^^ 

Of  importance  is  the  additional  fact  that  the  Membership 
old  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  further  re- 
stricted in  its  membership  to  owners  of  vessels, 
importers  and  exporters  of  merchandise,  and 
marine  insurance  brokers.^^  This  shows  that 
the  organization  came  into  existence  primarily 
to  foster  the  shipping  interests  of  Philadelphia. 
In  the  files  of  Hazard's  Register  during  the 
1820's  and  '30's  there  are  numerous  reports  of 
action  taken  by  the  Chamber,  indicating  that  it 
was  at  that  time  an  effective  body. 

In  1833  while  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
was  still  in  existence,  the  Philadelphia  Board  Board 
of  Trade  was  organized  on  a  more  liberal  plan  Trade 
by  several  merchants  who  met  October  fifteenth 

37  Dr.  James  Meases'  Picture  of  Philadelphia,  published  in 
Philadelphia,  1811.  Pages  67-68.  See  also  Philadelphia  in 
1830  by  E.  L.  Carey  and  A.  Hart.  Philadelphia,  1830.  Page 
95. 

38Fraley,  op.  cit.,  page  31. 


34>        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

of  that  year,  **to  take  into  consideration  the 
propriety  of  forming  an  association  by  means 
of  which  the  commercial  and  trading  com- 
munity may  be  enabled  to  act  with  united  ef- 
fort on  all  subjects  relating  to  their  inter- 
ests."^^ At  this  meeting  twenty-four  direc- 
tors were  elected  and  on  October  22  the  mem- 
bers, numbering  220,  chose  a  president.  A 
constitution  was  adopted  January  first,  1834. 

The  first  move  of  the  new  body  was  to  in- 
crease the  transportation  facilities.  In  1833, 
within  a  month  after  its  organization,  delegates 
were  sent  to  a  convention  at  Warren,  Ohio, 
called  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  the  canals  of 
Pennsylvania  with  those  of  Ohio.^^  By  the 
publication  and  distribution  of  the  proceedings 
of  that  meeting  and  by  continued  action  on  the 
general  subject  of  constructing  canals  and  rail- 
roads, the  Board  of  Trade  rendered  efficient 
service  in  opening  a  means  of  communication 
with  the  West.  The  organization  was  incor- 
porated in  1838. 

While  this  body  was  flourishing  the  Chamber 
of  Conmierce  gradually  lost  ground  and  was 

38  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  22. 
*o  Fraley,  op.  cit.,  page  53. 


EARLY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES       35 

finally  united  with  the  Board  of  Trade  in  1845  consoiida- 
through  a  friendly  conference  between  commit- 
tees of  both  bodies.     This  consolidation  was 
later  ratified  by  an  act  of  the  Assembly.*^ 

For  many  years  the  Board  of  Trade  had  no 
fixed  meeting  place.  At  first  the  meetings 
were  held  at  Wade's  Hotel/^  and  the  Mer- 
chants' Coffee  House,  and  after  1834  in  an 
apartment  in  the  Exchange.  In  June  1858 
two  large  rooms  with  an  office  were  fitted  up 
for  the  use  of  the  organization  on  the  second 
floor  of  a  new  fire-proof  building  opposite  the 
Mayor's  office  and  Independence  Hall  on 
Chestnut  Street.'^ 

At  the  present  time  the  Board  of  Trade  is  Present- 
located  at  the  Philadelphia  Bourse.     It  is  ac-  ganizations 
tively  devoted  to  the  material  prosperity  of  the 

*i  Fraley,  op.  ciL,  page  51. 

42Fraley,  op.  cit.,  page  52f,  says:  "Carrying  my  recollec- 
tions back  to  my  first  knowledge  of  that  house  of  entertain- 
ment, I  recollect  that  it  was  kept,  in  1826,  by  Mrs.  Catherine 
Yohe,  who  was  a  most  admirable  landlady,  and  attracted, — 
by  the  goodness  of  her  table  and  her  genial  and  affable  con- 
duct towards  her  guests, — large  numbers  of  merchants  from 
the  South  and  West, — the  then  great  sources  of  our  Phila- 
delphia trade."  Mr.  Fraley  was  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  in  1838,  the  year  of  its  incorporation  by  act  of  the 
Assembly,  and  his  report  of  its  early  history  is  authoritative 
as  well  as  interesting. 

*3  Sabine,  op.  cit.,  page  24. 


36        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

city,  the  membership  representing  every  de- 
partment of  industry.  Other  prominent  com- 
mercial organizations  are  the  new  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  organized  in  1891,  and  the  Com- 
mercial Exchange,  organized  in  1854  as  the 
Corn  Exchange  Association.  The  Chamber  of 
Commerce  aims  to  promote  the  business  wel- 
fare of  the  city,  while  the  Commercial  Ex- 
change is  closely  identified  with  the  grain  and 
produce  interests.*^ 

44  The  Port  and  City  of  Philadelphia,  by  F.  H.  Taylor  and 
W.  H.  Schoff.    Page  110. 

Boston's  unified  Chamber  of  Commerce  contrasts  strongly 
with  the  several  commercial  organizations  supported  by  Phil- 
adelphia citizens.  The  author  invited  Secretary  Schoff  of  the 
Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum  to  state  the  reasons,  in  his 
opinion,  for  the  lack  of  unity  now  existing  in  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  Schoff's  letter  follows:  "...  I  think  the  situation  in 
Philadelphia  as  regards  combination  of  its  Trade  Bodies  is 
largely  a  personal  one,  and  while  ultimately  a  combination 
may  be  brought  about,  it  seems  to  me  more  likely  that  it  will 
come  through  gradual  growth  of  the  strongest  body  and  ab- 
sorption of  the  other  bodies  and  that  it  may  not  be  fully 
consummated  during  the  lifetime  of  some  persons  active  in 
this  work.  .  .  .  While  there  has  been  considerable  agitation 
of  the  matter  of  combining  our  Trade  Bodies,  the  agitation 
itself  has  not  been  entirely  free  from  personal  or  political 
motives,  and  this  has  perhaps  prevented  it  from  commanding 
general  confidence. 

"I  do  not  believe  that  it  can  be  accepted  as  axiomatic  that 
absolute  combination  into  one  body  is  necessarily  beneficial, 
although  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  division  of  interest  in 
Philadelphia  has  lessened  the  effectiveness  of  organization 
work  here." 


EAELY  HISTORY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES      37 

The  1911  Annals  of  the  American  Academy- 
furnish  interesting  early  history  of  some  of  the 
great  produce  exchanges  of  this  country,  nota- 
bly, the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, — pages  507- 
523;  N.  Y.  Produce  Exchange, — pages  524- 
539;  the  Merchants'  Exchange  of  St.  Louis, — 
pages  540-544;  and  the  Philadelphia  Commer- 
cial Exchange, — pages  562-567.  New  Eng- 
land, edited  by  George  French  and  pubUshed 
1911  by  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
sketches  the  founding  and  early  history  of  com- 
mercial organizations  in  New  England, — • 
pages  344-360. 


A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


CHAPTER  III 

A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT 

In  1801  four  chambers  of  commerce  existed  isoi 
in  this  country,  located  respectively  in  the  cities 
of  New  York,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  Charleston, 
S.  C,  and  Philadelphia.^  From  the  previous 
description  of  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
bodies  it  is  apparent  that  they  were  composed 
of  business  men  meeting  regularly  to  discuss 
trade  matters  and  to  pass  resolutions  on  cer- 
tain important  commercial  questions.  The 
other  chambers  of  commerce  closely  resembled 
them.  These  pioneer  mercantile  associations 
were  the  forerunners  of  the  various  bodies  that 
have  since  been  founded. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury commercial  conditions  showed  relatively 

^American  Commercial  Institutions  by  Wilfred  H.  Schoflf 
(now  Secretary  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum), — 
fourth  of  a  series  of  Monographs  on  American  Social  Eco- 
nomics written  at  the  request  of  the  Department  of  Social 
Economy  of  the  United  States  Commission  for  the  Paris  Ex- 
hibition of  1900.  Published  in  Philadelphia,  1900.  Refer- 
ence is  to  page  5. 

41 


42        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

1B58  little  progress.     The  telegraph  was  not  in  reg- 

ular use  and  the  transatlantic  cable  had  not  yet 
been  laid.  The  increase  in  the  number  of  com- 
mercial bodies  during  the  half -century  was,  nat- 
^  urally,  only  slight.  In  1858,  according  to  one 
authority  there  were  ten  chambers  of  commerce 
and  twenty  boards  of  trade  in  the  United 
States.^  They  were  voluntary  associations  of 
business  men,  without  political  influence  or 
patronage,  but  generally  possessing  limited 
charter  privileges. 

The  laying  of  the  cable  in  1866  and  the  de- 
velopment of  telegraph  and  railway  lines  revo- 
lutionized trade  conditions  and  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  numerous  boards  of  trade  and 
similar  associations.  A  prominent  effect  of  the 
extension  of  railroads  was  to  deprive  inland 
waterways  of  much  of  the  freight  that  had  for- 
merly been  theirs.  The  commerce  of  some 
river-cities  actually  decreased  for  a  time.  An 
address  contained  in  the  records  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  year  1878 

Civic  states  that  Pittsburgh  was  seriously  affected; 

Aroused        and  it  is  particularly  valuable  for  showing  how 
one  commercial  organization  came  to  take  an 

2  Sabine,  o'p.  cit.,  page  20. 


A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT  43 

interest  in  the  city's  welfare.^  By  the  very 
urgency  of  the  situation  the  Pittsburgh  Cham- 
ber was  forced  to  adopt  a  public-spirited  point 
of  view. 

For  over  a  century  there  have  been  commer- 
cial organizations  in  this  country,  but  for  the 
greater  part  of  this  period  they  have  been  de- 
liberative bodies,  meeting  infrequently,  debat- 
ing problems  of  local  or  national  interest,  and 
adjourning.  It  is  different  in  the  case  of  the 
modern  chamber  of  commerce.  Evolution  has  Evolution 
produced  a  new  organization,  conducted  by  the  commercial 
best  type  of  citizens  and  business  men,  and  in- 
terested not  only  in  the  upbuilding  of  commerce 
but  also  in  the  betterment  of  community  life. 
In  the  words  of  Ex-President  Wheeler  of  the 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  commercial 
organization  of  to-day  is  "the  most  beneficent 

3  "Boards  of  Trade:  Their  Origins,  History,  Uses,  and 
Usefulness," — address  by  John  H.  Ricketson,  Esq.,  before  the 
Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce,  June  4,  1878.  He  said  in 
part:  "Situated  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Mississippi  basin, 
with  river  communication  with  the  mouth  of  the  Father  of 
Waters,  only  450  miles  from  the  largest  sea-coast  city,  and 
much  nearer  to  two  next  in  rank,  with  a  delightful  climate, 
a  fertile  soil,  a  rich  back  country,  and  .  .  .  the  largest  and 
finest  deposit  of  coal  for  manufacturing  purposes,  we  have 
grown  in  spite  of  ourselves.  .  .  .  But  now  a  change  has  come 
over  the  spirit  of  our  dream.  Artificial  highways  have  been 
created  and  our  natural  advantages  are  beginning  to  be  neu- 


44        AMEKICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

force  that  community  life  in  America  has  ever 
known."  * 

By  constantly  enlarging  their  field  of  use- 
fulness and  by  taking  an  active  part  in  the  so- 
lution of  civic  problems,  modern  trade  bodies 
have  made  themselves  invaluable  to  their  cities. 
The  "doing"  body  of  to-day,  as  Mr.  Chering- 
ton  observes,  has  gone  so  far  beyond  its  "resolv- 
ing" forebear  that  we  are  prone  to  forget  that 
it  is  still  a  "voluntary  association  of  business 
men  working  for  the  common  good."  ^  He  ac- 
counts for  this  evolution  by  the  fact  that  the 
voluntary  association  has  not  only  realized  its 
own  strength  but  has  also  come  to  appreciate 
the  true  meaning  of  the  common  good. 

As  stated  above,  there  were  four  commercial 
organizations  in  this  country  in  1801,  their 
number  increasing  to  thirty  in  fifty-odd  years. 

tralized.  .  .  .  The  changes  the  railroads  first  made  on  their 
maps  they  are  now  making  on  the  face  of  the  land  itself." 

See  also  development  of  transportation  facilities  in  United 
States.    New  England,  page  272. 

*  Speech  before  the  San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
July  14,  1913,  reported  in  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I, 
no.  14,  page  5. 

5  "The  Secretarial  Field  for  College  Graduates,"  by  Asst.- 
Prof.  Paul  T.  Cherington  of  the  Harvard  Graduate  School 
of  Business  Administration.  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I, 
no.  14,  page  7. 


A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT  45 

Figures  for  1898  are  given  by  W.  H.  Schoff,  i898 
Secretary  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial 
Museum,  in  his  pamphlet,  American  Commer- 
cial Institutions.  From  a  specially  compiled 
list  of  local  boards  of  trade  and  other  commer- 
cial organizations  Mr.  Schoff  finds  a  total  of 
2944.  To  this,  he  says,  must  be  added  about 
100  national  commercial  bodies,  as  for  example 
the  National  Business  League  and  the  Na- 
tional Board  of  Trade. 

In  December  1912  the  Senate  directed  the  official 

_.  /»  ^  T     ,  /.  statistics 

JDepartment  of  Commerce  and  Labor  to  fur-  i9i3 
nish  a  Ust  of  National,  State,  and  local  commer- 
cial organizations,  and  the  compilation  was 
made  by  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic 
Commerce  of  this  Department  and  printed 
February  1913.  A  description  of  the  pam- 
phlet is  given  on  page  78.  Careful  analysis 
of  the  hst  shows  that  at  the  date  of  issue  there 
were  approximately  3356  commercial  organi- 
zations in  this  country.  Of  those  mentioned 
243  are  interstate,  national,  or  international 
bodies,  183,  state  and  territorial,  and  2930, 
local.  To  the  first  of  these  three  classes  belong 
such  organizations  as  the  New  England  Busi- 
ness Federation,  the  Pan  American  States  As- 


46        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

sociation,  and,  in  addition,  many  national 
trades  organizations  which  are  not  related  to 
chambers  of  commerce  and  boards  of  trade. 
Among  the  state  bodies  may  be  cited  the  Cali- 
fornia Development  Board,  a  consolidation  of 
the  California  State  Board  of  Trade,  the  Man- 
ufacturers' and  Producers'  Association  of  Cal- 
ifornia, and  the  California  Promotion  Com- 
mittee. This  Board  was  organized  to  promote 
the  commercial  development  of  California.  In 
New  York  State,  since  the  publication  of  the 
Government  list,  a  body  known  as  the  Asso- 
ciated Chambers  of  Commerce  of  New  York 
I  State  has  been  founded,  having  as  its  purpose 
j  the  systematic  interchange  of  information  re- 
garding the  attitude  of  New  York  State  com- 
mercial bodies  toward  state  legislation.  These 
two  examples  of  state  federations  are  sufficient 
to  indicate  the  wide  diversity  of  causes  which 
bring  these  state  bodies  into  existence. 

Of  the  2930  local  commercial  organizations 
Civic  mentioned  in  the  official  compilation,  a  large 

runctlons  .      .  ,  ,...,. 

majority,  2274,  are  interested  m  civic  and  in- 
dustrial development,  as  conveniently  indicated 
therein  by  symbols.  Although  there  is  a  great 
variety  in  the  names  of  local  bodies,  a  trifle 


A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT  47 

more  than  60  per  cent,  of  them  are  designated 
as  chambers  of  commerce,  boards  of  trade,  and 
commercial  clubs,  with  numerous  variations  of 
the  last-named.  There  are  listed  414  cham- 
bers of  commerce,  490  boards  of  trade,  and  868 
commercial  clubs,  commerce  clubs,  commerce 
leagues,    and    commercial    associations.     The  Names  of 

.      .  Organiza- 

ngures  mdicate  that  these  descriptive  terms  tions 
are  in  particular  favor.  The  accompanying 
table  shows  the  average  number  of  chambers  of 
commerce,  boards  of  trade,  and  commercial 
clubs,  respectively,  per  hundred  of  commercial 
organizations  in  each  of  the  main  divisions  of 
this  country :  ^ 


Division 

Ch.C'm. 

Bd.Tr.  C'm.Cl 

No. 

Atlantic  States. 

...13.. 

...41.. 

.   3... 

So. 

Atlantic  States. 

...28.. 

...34.. 

.   5... 

No. 

Central  States.. 

...    6.. 

...   4.. 

.49... 

So. 

Central  States . . 

...12.. 

...10.. 

.32... 

Western  States 

...30.. 

...11.. 

.30... 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  high  percentage 
of  boards  of  trade  and  chambers  of  commerce 

7  These  figures  are  not  contained  in  the  official  report  but 
have  been  compiled  from  it  by  the  author.  See  Appendix, 
page  257,  for  statistics  showing  (1)  commercial  organizations 
by  States  and  (2f)  those  commercial  organizations,  by  States, 
that  are  interested  in  civic  work. 


48         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

in  the  East,  and  the  correspondingly  small  pro- 
portion of  commercial  clubs,  whereas  the  cen- 
tral states  show  the  figures  reversed.  In  the 
West  chambers  of  conmierce  and  commercial 
clubs  exist  in  equal  numbers,  California  alone 
having  as  many  as  sixty-nine  chambers  of  com- 
merce. It  should  be  carefully  understood, 
however,  that  the  selection  of  one  name  or  an- 
other for  a  commercial  organization  engaged 
in  civic  and  industrial  development  is  only  ar- 
bitrary. But  it  is  probably  justifiable  to  as- 
sume that  the  existence  of  large  commercial 
clubs  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  central  states 
accounts  for  the  sectional  popularity  of  their 
name.  And  the  Atlantic  states  very  naturally 
retain  the  terms,  board  of  trade  and  chamber 
of  commerce,  as  their  inheritance  from  the  Old 
World. 

The  World's  Work,  August  1913,  page  479, 
says  editorially: 

"At  the  present  time  there  are  over  4500 
commercial  organizations  in  the  United  States, 
and  over  1000  of  sufficient  importance  to  jus- 
tify membership  in  the  National  Chamber  of 
Commerce." 


A  CENTURY  OF  DEVELOPMENT  49 

No  figures  are  given  to  show  how  this  ap- 
parently excessive  estimate  was  obtained.  It 
includes,  of  course,  as  do  the  lists  for  1898  and 
1913  above  mentioned,  many  special  organiza- 
tions such  as  stationers'  boards  and  real  estate 
associations  which  do  not  properly  belong  to 
the  class  of  commercial  bodies  treated  in  this 
volume. 

Along  with  the  rapid  increase  in  the  number  improved 
of  American  commercial  organizations  has 
come  a  satisfactory  advancement  in  their  meth- 
ods and  functions.  For  example,  they  have 
been  largely  instrumental  in  improving  the  re- 
lations between  the  transportation  companies 
and  the  commercial  interests.  Through  their 
traffic  bureaus  they  settle  the  freight  claims 
that  the  business  man  willingly  turns  over  to 
them  for  adjustment.^     The  agricultural  pos- 

8  Practical  suggestions  for  the  management  of  a  traffic 
bureau,  examples  of  traffic  bureau  efficiency,  etc.,  are  con- 
tained in  the  following:  Special  Agents  Series — No.  60. 
Commercial  Organizations,  by  E.  A.  Brand.  Washington, 
D.  C,  1912.  Page  18— "Transportation  Departments." 
Special  Agents  Series — No.  79.  Commercial  Organizations  in 
Southern  and  Western  Cities,  by  Geo.  W.  Doonan.  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  1914.  Page  6— "Traffic  Bureaus."  S.  H.  Clay, 
City  Building,  Chapter  VIII,  "Transportation."  J.  H.  Seek, 
"Transportation,"  in  the  Proceedings,  Fourth  Annual  Conven- 
tion, the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries,  pages 
27-30.    E.   J.   McVann,   "Traffic,"   in   the   Proceedings,   Fifth 


50        AMERICAN  CHAMBEES  OF  COMMERCE 

sibilities  of  the  territory  adjacent  to  the  cities 
are  being  investigated  by  commercial  organi- 
zations.^ In  conjunction  with  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce,  boards  of  trade  also  keep 
the  local  merchants  informed  of  foreign  trade 
opportunities  and,  carrying  out  their  original 
purpose,  supervise  the  transactions  in  ex- 
changes and  arbitrate  commercial  disputes/^ 

Fire  and  accident  prevention  is  an  impor- 
tant part  of  their  work  in  many  places.  Sani- 
tary surveys  conducted  by  these  bodies  have 
lowered  the  death  rates  and  made  living  safer 
and  more  comfortable  for  whole  communities- 
Charitable  and  settlement  work  is  coming  to  be 
included  in  their  field  of  service.  In  the  mat- 
ter of  community  building  boards  of  trade  now 
make  industrial  investigations,  analyzing  the 

Annual  Convention,  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries,  pages  39-40. 

©Clay's  City  Building,  Chapter  XIII,  "Agriculture  in  Co- 
operation with  Farmers  and  Growers."  See  page  248  for 
additional  references. 

10  For  accounts  of  the  work  of  commercial  bodies  in  whole- 
sale and  retail  trade  extension  see:  W.  S.  Whitten,  "Trade 
Extension,"  in  the  Proceedings,  Fourth  Annual  Convention, 
Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries,  pages  19-24. 
E.  H.  Clifford,  "Trade  Extension,"  in  the  Proceedings,  Fifth 
Annual  Convention,  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secre- 
taries, pages  32-33.  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building,  Chapters 
V  and  VI. 


A  CENTUEY  OF  DEVELOPMENT  51 

needs  and  advantages  of  their  cities,  and  plan- 
ning to  acquire  new  factories  and  industries. 
The  constructive  work  of  commercial  organi- 
zations is  more  particularly  described  in  Chap- 
ter X,  Civic  Improvement,  while  their  im- 
portant relations  with  city  governments  are 
treated  in  Chapters  VII,  VIII,  and  IX. 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT 

Of  the  great  elements  in  our  national  life,  com- 
merce has  been  the  slowest  to  secure  nationally 
organized  representation  in  governmental  af-  commerce 
fairs.  The  laborers  in  this  country  are  a  more  organize 
or  less  cohesive  body.  Through  their  local 
groups  to  their  State  and  national  organiza- 
tions they  make  their  wants  known  to  the  gov- 
ernment. Likewise,  agricultural  interests 
have  combined  in  granges  and  other  sectional 
and  national  groups  and  they  also  are  able  to 
command  governmental  recognition.  But 
chambers  of  commerce  and  boards  of  trade, 
representing  the  commercial  interests,  have  un- 
til very  recently  existed  only  as  independent 
units  and  as  a  result  have  received  little  atten- 
tion from  the  Federal  Government.  Public 
officials  dare  not  discriminate  by  recognizing 
any  particular  board  of  trade  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  rest.  The  formation  of  one  central 
body  representative  of  all  these  organizations 

55 


56        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Central 

Body 

Advocated 


National 
Board  of 
Trade 


is  evidently  the  means  to  the  solution  of  this 
difficulty/ 

In  the  1859  report  of  the  Boston  Board  of 
Trade  there  was  recommended  the  formation 
of  a  United  States  Government  Board  of 
Trade,  "not  to  replace  but  to  help  the  local 
chambers  of  commerce  by  bearing  some  of  the 
labor  and  expense."  Presumably  the  Boston 
organization  had  in  mind  a  body  similar  to  the 
English  Board  of  Trade,  but  at  all  events  the 
Government  did  not  act  favorably  upon  the 
recommendation.  The  plan  of  forming  a  fed- 
eration which  should  be  truly  representative 
and  entitle  commercial  organizations  to  official 
recognition  was  considered  at  a  meeting  of 
delegates  held  in  Detroit  in  1867.  Since  that 
time  American  trade  bodies  have  made  at- 
tempts to  carry  out  the  plan  and  the  term 
"federation  movement"  has  been  applied  to 
this  phase  of  their  history. 

The  year  1868  marked  the  first  attempt, 
when  the  plan  of  the  National  Board  of  Trade 

i"A  National  Chamber  of  Commerce"  by  Edward  F. 
Trefz,  Pield  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
United  States.  Address  made  at  the  Fourth  Annual  Conven- 
tion of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries, 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  1912.  Reported  on  page  34  of  the 
Proceedings  of  tliis  convention. 


THE  FEDEEATION  MOVEMENT  57 

was  drawn  up  at  a  convention  in  Boston. 
Organization  was  effected  the  same  year  at 
Philadelphia,  the  delegates  meeting  there  at 
the  city's  invitation.  The  new  body  adopted 
a  constitution  June  fifth,  1868,  briefly  sum- 
marizing its  purposes  as  follows: 

"In  order  to  promote  the  efficiency  and  ex- 
tend the  usefulness  of  the  various  Boards  of 
Trade,  Chambers  of  Commerce,  and  other 
chartered  bodies,  organized  for  general  com- 
mercial purposes,  in  the  United  States;  in  or- 
der to  secure  unity  and  harmony  of  action  in 
reference  to  commercial  usages,  customs,  and 
laws,  and  especially  in  order  to  secure  the 
proper  consideration  of  questions  pertaining 
to  the  financial,  commercial,  and  industrial  in- 
terests of  this  country  at  large,  this  Associa- 
tion on  the  fifth  day  of  June  1868  is  hereby 
formed  by  delegates  now  in  session  in  the  City 
of  Philadelphia,  "  ^ 


K.        •        • 


It  was  provided  by  the  constitution  that 
every  local  board  of  trade,  chamber  of  com- 
merce, or  other  body  organized  for  general 
conmiercial,  and  not  for  special  or  private, 
purposes,  and  duly  chartered  under  State  or 
national  laws  should  be  entitled  to  member- 

2  Preamble  to  the  Constitution  of  the  National  Board  of 
Trade,  quoted  in  the  1868  Report  of  that  body,  page  vii. 


58        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Original  ship,  the  representation  of  each  body  to  be  on 
the  basis  of  its  number  of  members.  The 
original  enrohnent  consisted  of  thirty-two  as- 
sociations, probably  a  large  majority  of  all  the 
commercial  organizations  existing  at  that 
time.^ 

The  report  of  the  executive  council  of  the 
National  Board  of  Trade  in  1878,  reviewing 
the  first  decade  of  its  existence,  states  that  the 
Board  was  recognized  as  the  leading  repre- 
sentative commercial  body  and,  continuing, 
says: 

"The  result  of  conservatism  and  disinterest- 
edness on  the  part  of  the  National  Board  of 
Trade  has  been  that  when  the  executive  council 
or  any  committee  of  the  Board  has  had  occa- 
sion to  wait  upon  the  President  or  upon  the 
heads  of  departments  at  Washington,  or  to  ap- 
pear before  the  committees  of  Congress,  it  has 
had  a  cordial  reception  and  a  respectful  hear- 
ing. Its  recommendations  have  not  always 
been  immediately  adopted  but  they  have  been 
recognized  as  entitled  to  weight  and  have  sel- 
dom failed  to  exert  due  influence."  ^ 

3  Report  of  the  National  Board  of  Trade,  1868,  page  v. 

4  "The  National  Board  of  Trade:  Its  Past  and  Future." 
Report  of  a  committee  of  the  executive  council  as  adopted 
December  12,  1878,  Boston.    Reference  is  to  page  4. 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  59 

Though  it  is  admitted  that  the   National  Not  a 

ReprcMiita- 

Board  of  Trade  was  measurably  successful  and  tive  Body 
worked  faithfully  to  secure  proper  recogni- 
tion for  commercial  organizations,  it  was  not 
in  fact  a  representative  body.  As  time  passed, 
the  growth  of  its  membership  did  not  keep 
pace  with  the  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of 
commercial  bodies.^  Nevertheless  the  organ- 
ization continued  its  activity  until  1912,  having 
held  annual  meetings  with  only  three  excep- 
tions since  the  date  of  founding. 

THE  NATIONAL   COUNCIL   OF  COMMERCE 

An  effort  to  establish  closer  relations  be-  * 
tween  commercial  organizations  and  the  Gov- 

5  An  attempt  to  explain  this  fact  appears  in  the  minutes  of 
the  1911  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Board  of  Trade, 
as  follows:  "A  writer  in  a  recent  magazine  article,  comment- 
ing on  the  success  of  two  or  three  well-known  commercial 
bodies,  conveys  the  impression  that  we  have  several  thousand 
commercial  organizations  in  the  tJnited  States.  We  have  a 
very  large  number  of  organizations,  created  for  special  pur- 
poses, whose  membership  never  meets  and  whose  existence  is 
on  paper  only;  these  cannot  be  classed  among  commercial 
bodies  eligible  for  membership  in  the  National  Board  of 
Trade.  It  is  improbable  that  at  this  time  there  are  more  than 
200  active  commercial  organizations  as  distinguished  from 
industrial  and  trading  associations,  identified  with  the  civic 
interests  of  their  respective  localities,  and  of  these  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  more  than  one-quarter  have  sufficient  income  to  meet 
their  local  demands." 


60        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

eminent  was  made  at  one  time  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  and  Labor  and,  though  un- 
successful, it  is  worthy  of  mention.  On 
October  23,  1907,  Secretary  Straus  addressed 
a  letter  to  a  selected  number  of  trade  organ- 
izations.    Part  of  it  is  here  quoted : 

"Gentlemen:  The  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor  was  created  by  the  act  of 
February  14,  1903,  and  Congress  had  chiefly 
in  view  .  .  .  the  fostering,  promoting,  and 
developing  of  foreign  and  domestic  com- 
merce. .  .  . 

"With  the  view  of  developing  the  most  prac- 
tical plan  for  rendering  this  Department  of 
greater  service  to  the  commercial  interests  of 
this  country,  and  at  the  same  time  to  enable 
the  Department  to  enlist  the  co-operation  of 
such  interests,  I  have  invited  the  chambers  of 
commerce  and  boards  of  trade  from  some  forty 
of  the  leading  cities  of  the  country  to  appoint 
committees  to  meet  in  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor  on  Thursday,  December  5 
...  to  consider  with  me  ways  and  means 
of  accompUshing  the  objects  above  set 
forth.  .  .  ."^ 

^National  Council  of  Commerce:  Proceedings  of  a  meet- 
ing of  delegates  from  the  chambers  of  comnnerce,  boards  of 
trade,  and  trade  organizations  of  the  leading  cities  of  the 
United  States,  in  conference  with  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  December  5  and  6,  1907.  Printed  Washington, 
D.  C,  1907.    Secretary  Straus's  letter  appears  on  pages  3-4. 


THE  FEDEEATION  MOVEMENT  61 

At  the  meeting  a  plan  of  organization  was  National 

Council 

adopted  providing  for  two  closely  connected,  Formed 
yet  distinct  bodies:  (1)  a  National  Council  of 
Commerce  and  (2)  an  Advisory  Committee, 
appointed  by  the  Council.  The  National 
Council  was  composed  of  representatives 
from  all  of  the  leading  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial organizations  in  this  country.  Its 
function  was  to  hear  and  act  on  the  reports  of 
the  Advisory  Committee  and  in  turn  to  bring 
to  the  latter's  attention  any  important  sug- 
gestions."^ One  of  the  chief  services  planned 
for  this  Council  was  that  of  acting  as  an  in- 
termediary between  the  local  commercial 
bodies  and  the  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor  in  making  useful  the  information  col- 
lected by  the  Department  concerning  foreign 
trade. 

For  a  number  of  reasons  the  National  Coun- 
cil never  fulfilled  the  expectations  of  its  found- 
ers. After  its  first  annual  meeting  the 
membership  steadily  lost  interest  and  upon  the 
organization  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  United  States  of  America  in  1912  the 

7  Page  14,  1907  Proceedings  of  the  National  Council  of 
Commerce. 


62        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Voted  out      Council  voted  itself  out  of  existence,  turning 
istence  over  to  the  new  body  the  contents  of  the  treas- 

ury which  amounted  to  several  hundred  dol- 
lars. 

THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMERICA 

In  1910  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
a  charter  member  of  the  National  Board  of 
Trade,  endeavored  to  bring  about  a  reorgan- 
ization of  that  body  in  order  to  make  it  more 
effective.  But  the  general  sentiment  of  those 
organizations  which  were  not  members  of  the 
old  Board  of  Trade  was  that  it  would  be  better 
to  form  a  new  body.  Accordingly  in  1912 
National  President  Taft,  through  Secretary  Nagel  of 
Conference  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  in- 
vited commercial  organizations  generally  to  at- 
tend a  National  Commercial  Conference  in 
Washington  to  consider  the  advisability  of 
carrying  out  this  plan.^ 

8  See  Secretary  Nagel's  article :  "A  National  Chamber  of 
Commerce."  Harper's  Weekly,  August  10,  1912,  page  9.  He 
says:  ".  .  .  Intelligent  development,  legislative  or  otherwise, 
must  in  very  large  measure  depend  upon  the  opportunity  and 
ability  on  the  part  of  officials  of  the  government  to  confer 
with  accredited  representatives  of  commerce  and  industry  in 
general."    Also  see  Chamber  of  Commerce  News   (issued  by 


THE  FEDEEATION  MOYEMENT  63 

Seven  hundred  and  fifty  delegates,  repre- 
senting commercial  organizations  of  every 
state  in  the  Union,  attended  the  meeting  on 
April  22, 1912.     At  this  time  there  was  formed  xr.  s. 

Chamber 

the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  Formed 
States  of  America.^  This  body  has  no  offi- 
cial connection  with  the  National  Board  of 
Trade.  The  latter  is  still  in  existence,  though 
inactive  and  holding  no  meetings.  Its  mem- 
bers have  been  advised  by  the  ofiicers  to  sup- 
port the  new  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
Board  of  Trade  will  resume  operations  only 
in  case  the  other  is  not  successful.  Subject 
to  the  call  of  the  president,  the  National 
Board  can  be  brought  forward  again  at  any 
time  to  work  in  the  interests  of  organized  com- 
merce. ^^ 

the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce)  Vol.  II,  No.  52,  page  1: 
"New  National  Commercial  Body,'*  showing  the  activity  of 
the  Boston  Chamber  in  connection  with  the  founding  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
The  World's  Work,  Vol.  XXVII,  page  610,  April  1914,  gives 
editorial  conmient  under  the  title  "A  National  Chamber  of 
Commerce." 

9  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  I,  no.  9,  page  8.  "Federal  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  Formed." 

10  Letter  of  Mr.  William  H.  Douglas,  Dec.  26,  1913.  Mr. 
Douglas,  formerly  Second  Vice-President  of  the  National 
Board  of  Trade,  is  now  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  U.  S.  A. 


64.        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

The  purpose  of  the  United  States  Cham- 
Purpose  ber  of  Commerce  is  to  establish  closer  relations 
between  the  commercial  interests  of  this  coun- 
try and  the  Federal  officials,  and  thus  to  bring 
about  a  better  mutual  understanding.  It  aims 
in  the  words  of  the  by-laws : 

"to  secure  co-operative  action  in  advancing  the 
common  purposes  of  its  members,  uniformity 
and  equity  in  business  usages  and  laws,  and 
proper  consideration  and  concentration  of 
opinion  upon  questions  affecting  the  financial, 
commercial,  civic,  and  industrial  interests  of 
the  country  at  large."  ^^ 

By  comparing  the  purposes  of  this  organiza- 
tion with  those  stated  half  a  century  ago  in 
the  "Preamble"  of  the  National  Board  of 
Trade  ^^  it  will  be  noted  that  the  by-laws  com- 
mittee of  the  newer  body  thought  it  necessary 
to  add  "civic  interests"  to  the  financial,  com- 
mercial, and  industrial  interests  named  by  its 
predecessor.     It  is  reasonable  to  expect  that, 

11  Published  in  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  4,  page  7. 
See  also:  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  2,  page  2:  "The 
Relation  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce  to  the  Govern- 
ment." Same,  Vol.  I,  no.  5,  page  12:  "The  Chamber  and  Con- 
gress." Same,  Vol.  I,  no.  14,  page  5:  "Purpose  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce."  Speech  of  Pres.  Wheeler  at  San 
Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce  July  14,  1913. 

12  See  above  page  57. 


THE  FEDERATION  MO^^EMENT  65 

as  the  commercial  organizations  represented  in 
the  United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce  con- 
tinue to  extend  their  civic  functions,  becoming 
increasingly  valuable  to  their  cities,  they  will 
in  due  course  be  enabled  to  secure  govern- 
mental recognition  and  legislative  support. 

Following  the  advice  of  Secretary  Nagel  in  Federal 
his  address  at  the  National  Commercial  Con-  sought 
ference  which  marked  the  founding  of  the 
Chkmber,  the  board  of  directors  was  ordered 
to  take  steps  to  secure  a  Federal  charter.^^  A 
bill  was  therefore  prepared  and  introduced  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  on  June  fourth, 
1912,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Judici- 
ary. The  bill  was  promptly  returned  with  the 
recommendation  that  it  be  passed  and  these 
significant  comments : 

**As  the  purpose  of  the  corporation  pro- 
posed in  this  bill  is  to  encourage  trade  and 
commercial  intercourse  among  the  States,  the 
District  of  Columbia,  the  territories,  and  in- 
sular possessions  of  the  United  States  and  with 
foreign  nations — in  other  words,  as  its  pur- 
pose is  to  encourage,  stimulate,  facilitate  and 
extend  our  commercial  relations,  there  can  be 

13  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.   7,  page  4:    "Federal 
Charter  Sought  for  U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce." 


66        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

no  question  as  to  the  right  and  the  power  of 
Congress  to  grant  the  proposed  charter. 

"While  we  have  many  commercial  bodies  in 
the  country  .  .  .  they  are  all  purely  local  in 
their  character,  intended  only  to  benefit  the 
particular  conmiunities  in  which  they  are  lo- 
cated, and  we  have  no  organization  of  a  na- 
tional or  quasi-national  character,  such  as  it  is 
proposed  in  this  bill  to  organize.  .  .  . 

"In  the  collection,  publication  and  distribu- 
tion of  the  latest  conmiercial  statistics  alone  it 
can  do  incalculable  good. 

"It  can  and  ought  to  greatly  increase  the 
commercial  standing  and  importance  of  the 
United  States  among  foreign  nations  by  ma- 
terially extending  our  foreign  trade  and  by 
creating  a  higher  standard  of  business  ethics." 

Although   the    House    of    Representatives 
Charter         favorcd  the  bill,  it  failed  to  pass  the  Senate, 

Bill 

Defeated  owing  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  latter's  Com- 
mittee on  Judiciary  did  not  report  the  bill,  and 
partly  to  the  pressure  of  other  important  mat- 
ters.^* The  Chamber  has  urged  the  constitu- 
ent members  to  work  for  the  passage  of  the 
Federal  charter  bill  when  it  is  next  presented. 
Recognition  of  this  body  by  Congress  would 
enable  it  to  treat  on  equal  terms  with  the  na- 

1*  The   Nation's  Business,  Vol.   I,   no.   9,  page   1,   "Federal 
Charter  Bill  Defeated." 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  67 

tional  commercial  organizations  of  other  coun- 
tries. Mere  incorporation  by  a  State  or  by 
the  District  of  Columbia  would  not  be  expres- 
sive of  its  national  purpose  and  would  inevita- 
bly lead  to  its  confusion  with  local  organiza- 
tions. 

The  activities  of  the  Chamber  center  in  the 
annual  meetings  held  in  various  large  cities 
and  attended  by  delegates  from  all  the  constit-  runctions 
uent  organizations.  On  these  occasions  ques- 
tions of  a  national  character  are  discussed  and 
voted  on.  In  the  interval  between  meetings 
the  "referendum  plan"  is  largely  used,  the  vote 
of  the  members  being  obtained  through  the 
mails.  The  by-laws  provide  that  any  associa- 
tion desiring  to  present  a  subject  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Chamber  shall  communicate 
with  the  General  Secretary.  He,  in  turn, 
places  the  question  before  the  board  of  direc- 
tors who  decide  whether  it  is  of  national  im- 
portance. If  they  find  in  the  negative,  the 
proposing  member  may  appeal  to  the  National 
Council,  a  body  consisting  of  delegates  from 
all  the  organizations,  each  organization  having 
one  representative.     If  the  subject  is  finally  • 

decided  by  the  directors  or  the  Council  to  be 


68        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

worthy  of  consideration,  a  printed  statement 
of  it  is  sent  out  to  the  members  and  a  date  set 
within  which  votes  must  be  returned.  If  the 
general  sentiment  of  the  members  is  favorable, 
the  responsibility  of  making  the  action  effec- 
tive rests  with  the  board  of  directors.  The  first 
referendum  of  the  Chamber  contained  the  plan 
of  a  national  budget,  and,  owing  to  the  great 
importance  of  this  subject,  all  the  commercial 
organizations  in  this  country  and  in  the  in- 
sular possessions,  whether  or  not  they  were 
members  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber,  were  invited  to 
express  their  opinion.  The  returns  showed  a 
strong  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  plan. 

The  nature  of  the  Chamber's  work  is  in- 
Referenda  dicatcd  by  a  brief  statement  of  the  seven  subse- 
quent referenda  which  have  thus  far  been  is- 
sued. The  Chamber's  second  referendum 
advocated  the  creation  of  a  permanent  tariff 
commission.  The  third  condemned  an  objec- 
tionable rider  on  the  Sundry  Civil  Bill.  Spe- 
cific amendments  to  the  Banking  and  Cur- 
rency Bill  were  made  the  subject  of  the  fourth 
referendum.  Following  the  affirmative  vote 
of  the  constituent  organizations,  delegates 
from  the  National  Chamber  were  invited  to 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  69 

present  their  amendments  to  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee. The  Chamber  was  thus  enabled  to 
take  an  active  part  in  perfecting  the  bill  which 
has  since  become  law. 

Referendum,  number  5,  advocated  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  powers  and  functions  of  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce. 
The  sixth  and  seventh  referenda  proposed,  re- 
spectively, the  establishment  by  Congress  of 
a  bureau,  or  bureaus,  of  legislative  reference 
and  bill-drafting;  and  the  creation  of  an  in- 
terstate trade  commission.  The  eighth  refer- 
endum contained  detailed  recommendations 
on  the  pending  trust  legislation  and  on  the  pro- 
posals for  regulating  business  practices.^^ 

In  order  to  keep  the  organization  fully  in- 
formed on  national  questions  affecting  com- 
merce, a  number  of  standing  committees  have  standing: 
been  appointed,  whose  function  it  is  to  investi- 
gate and  make  reports  whenever  required  to 
do  so.  A  committee  consists  of  twenty  mem- 
bers and  is  divided  into  four  sub-committees, 
each  located  in,  and  representing,  one  of  the 
four  great  geographical  divisions  of  this  coun- 

15  For  a  review  of  the  Chamber's  referenda  with  the  excep- 
tion of  No.  8  see  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  II,  no  2, 
page  7. 


70        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

try, — eastern,  north  central,  south  central,  and 
western.  Over  600  commercial  organizations 
Membersiiip  are  included  in  the  membership  of  the  National 
Chamber.  There  are,  moreover,  a  large  num- 
ber of  individual  memberships,  1716  being  the 
figure  given  in  the  Directors'  Report  for  1913. 
Individual  members  must  be  members  in  good 
standing  of  an  organization  affiliated  with  the 
Chamber  and  have  no  vote  except  through  the 
organization  to  which  they  belong.  In  return 
for  annual  dues  of  $25  they  receive  direct  all 
the  services  of  the  Chamber,  have  the  use  of  the 
facilities  at  the  Washington  office,  may  attend 
the  meetings,  and  have  the  privilege  of  the  floor 
at  these  functions. 

The  official  publication  of  the  National 
Chamber,  The  Nation's  Business,  is  issued 
monthly  from  the  headquarters  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

As  the  National  Chamber  is  still  in  the 
rnture  of  formative  period,  any  statement  regarding  its 
Chamber  permanent  value  to  organized  commerce  would 
be  imprudent.  In  the  personnel  of  its  found- 
ers, the  practical  value  of  its  proposed  en- 
deavors, and  the  friendly  attitude  of  the  Fed- 
eral Government,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  71 

has  had  from  the  first  most  desirable  assets. 
Its  future  will  depend  largely  upon  the  ability 
of  its  directors  to  combine  the  heterogeneous 
elements  which  are  represented  in  the  member- 
ship and  to  guide  the  organization  as  a  unit  in 
accordance  with  wisely-chosen  policies. 

INTERNATIONAL   CONGRESS   OF   CHAMBERS 
OF   COMMERCE 

An  organization  which  tends  to  bring  about 
government  co-operation  with  American  com- 
mercial bodies,  and  to  raise  them  to  the  posi- 
tion occupied  by  European  trade  associations, 
is  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of 
Commerce,  representing  the  business  men  of 
the  entire  world.  It  was  founded  at  a  meet- 
ing held  in  Liege,  Belgium,  in  1905,  which 
resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  permanent 
committee  and  the  decision  to  hold  meetings 
every  two  years.  The  second  Congress  took 
place  at  Milan,  Italy,  in  1906  and  at  intervals 
of  two  years  thereafter  meetings  were  held  in 
Prague,  1908,  London,  1910,  Boston,  1912, 
and  Paris,  1914,  respectively.^^ 

18  For  details  see:  Bulletin  of  the  Pan- American  Union, 
1912,  Vol.  XXXIV,  pages  52S-525;  "Fifth  International  Con- 
gress of  Chambers  of  Commerce."      (Same) ,  Vol.  XXXIV,  pages 


72         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Classes  of 
Delegates 


Subjects 
Discnssed 


Delegates  to  the  International  Congress  are 
of  two  classes :  first,  the  official  delegates  desig- 
nated to  attend  the  Congress  by  the  Govern- 
ments of  the  leading  commercial  nations;  and 
second,  the  delegates  appointed  by  the  busi- 
ness organizations  affiliated  with  this  body. 
The  purpose  of  the  International  Congress  is 
to  secure  harmony  of  action  on  all  interna- 
tional questions  affecting  commerce  and  trade 
by  enlisting  the  co-operation  of  the  various  na- 
tions to  obtain  uniform  laws  with  respect  to 
commercial  matters.  At  the  biennial  sessions 
it  therefore  considers  the  current  problems  of 
the  world's  trade.  Questions  are  selected  by 
the  permanent  committee  from  among  those 
suggested  by  the  constituent  organizations  and 
are  announced  in  advance  of  the  meetings. 
At  the  recent  Paris  Congress,  attended  by  over 
2000  delegates,  the  following  were  among  the 
subjects  discussed  and  voted  upon:  a  fixed 
date  for  Easter,  the  universal  adoption  of 
clocks  numbering  the  hours  1-24,  saving  of 
daylight  in  the  simamer  months  by  putting  time 

873-896.  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  18,  page  16:  "  In- 
ternational Chamber  of  Commerce  Resolutions."  New  York 
Times,  July  26,  1914,  magazine  section,  page  8:  "Sixth  Inter- 
national Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce." 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  7S 

ahead  one  hour,  May  1  to  October  1,  uniform 
legislation  regarding  the  arbitration  of  com- 
mercial disputes  between  private  parties  of  dif- 
ferent countries,  and  a  uniform  bill  of  lading/^ 
If  the  action  taken  by  the  delegates  at  the 
biennial  sessions  is  favorable,  it  then  becomes 
the  duty  of  the  permanent  committee  to  take 
steps  to  make  the  decision  effective.  This  is 
done  either  by  urging  some  government  to 
call  a  diplomatic  conference  or  by  entering  into 
negotiations  with  the  different  governments. 
The  relations  between  the  leading  commercial 
organizations  of  Europe  that  are  included  in 
the  International  Congress  and  the  various 
European  governments  have  always  been  of  a 
very  cordial  nature.^^ 

THE   PHILADELPHIA   COMMERCIAL   MUSEUM 

The  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum  is  an 
institution  that  indirectly  contributes  to  the 
federation  movement  since  commercial  organ- 
izations of  all  countries  are  represented  in  the 
membership  of  its  international  advisory  board. 

IT  See  Chicago  Commerce,  Vol.  X,  no.  6,  pages  20-22.  Also 
The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  II,  no.  7,  pages  11-13. 

18  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  2,  page  1.  'The  In- 
ternational Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce.^* 


74         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

The  purpose  of  the  Museum  is  to  develop 
American  export  trade  by  supplying  manu- 
facturers with  commercial  information  and 
statistics. 

In  1893  the  Chicago  World's  Fair  suggested 
Plan  to  Dr.  Wilham  P.  Wilson,  then  of  the  Uni- 

Sn  guested 

versity  of  Pennsylvania,  the  plan  of  organiz- 
ing a  commercial  museum  and  reference 
bureau.  The  city  of  Philadelphia  thereupon 
authorized  him  to  obtain  material  for  a  museum 
of  foreign  trade  products.  By  conferring 
with  foreign  commissioners  at  the  Exposition 
and  with  their  respective  governments,  he  ob- 
tained by  purchase  and  gift  a  large  number  of 
specimens.  In  Philadelphia  he  secured  the 
support  of  the  late  Dr.  William  Pepper, 
Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  on  June  15,  1894,  there  was  organized 
the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum,  of 
which  Dr.  Wilson  was  subsequently  appointed 
Director.  For  the  government  of  the  Mu- 
seum's affairs  a  board  of  trustees  was  chosen, 
its  members  including  the  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  and  other 
State  and  city  officials. 

In  1899  at  the  time  of  the  official  opening  of 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  75 

the  Museum  there  was  held  an  Export  Ex-  Musenm 

.  1     Opened 

position  and  a  Commercial  Congress  at  which 
there  were  delegates  from  commercial  bodies 
in  most  of  the  important  countries  of  the 
world.  The  Museum  is  supported  by  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  Federal  Government,  deriving  an  ad- 
ditional income  from  business  firms  which  pay 
annual  amounts  varying  in  accordance  with 
the  services  rendered  to  them  by  the  institu- 
tion.'^ 

BUREAU   OF   FOREIGN    AND   DOMESTIC 
COMMERCE 

As  the  purpose  of  the  federation  movement 
is  to  secure  official  recognition  for  commercial 
organizations,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
Federal  Government  is  inviting  the  co-opera- 
tion of  these  bodies  through  the  Bureau  of 
Foreign     and     Domestic     Commerce.     This 

19  Schoff,  American  Commercial  Institutions,  page  30. 
Other  articles  on  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum  are: 
P.  T.  Cherington,  "Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum,"  The 
World  Today,  Vol.  XIV,  pages  500-507,  May  1908;  R.  A.  Foley, 
"Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum,"  The  World's  Work,  Vol. 
II,  pages  1258-1260,  October  1901.  "Pioneer  Commercial 
Museum,"  Harper's  Weekly,  Vol.  XL VI,  page  514,  April  19, 
1902.  J.  A.  Stewart,  "Where  Science  Is  Allied  to  Commerce," 
Chautauquan,  Vol.  XXXVIII,  pages  264t-266.     November  1903. 


76        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Bureau  was  formed  in  1912  by  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  Bureau  of  Manufactures  and  the 
Bureau  of  Statistics,  both  in  what  is  now  the 
Department  of  Commerce.  Its  function  is  to 
promote  and  develop  trade  at  home  and 
abroad  by  collecting  and  publishing  useful 
commercial  information.  This  material  is  se- 
cured from  many  sources,  mainly  by  a  corps 
of  commercial  agents,  employed  to  make  in- 
vestigations and  submit  reports.  A  pamphlet 
entitled:  Miscellaneous  Series — No.  6,  Pro- 
motion of  Commerce,  Washington,  D.  C, 
1912,  gives  a  brief  outline  of  the  service  main- 
tained by  the  Federal  Government  for  the 
promotion  of  trade. 

In   1912   Mr.   E.   A.   Brand,   Commercial 
Tonrof         Agent  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and 

Investiga- 

tion  Labor,  as  it  was  then  named,  made  a  tour  of 

several  of  the  eastern  and  central  states,  visit- 
ing seventy  commercial  organizations.  The 
primary  purpose  of  the  inquiry  was  to  estab- 
lish a  basis  for  co-operation  between  the  local 
commercial  organizations  and  what  is  now  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce.^*^ 
Mr.  Brand  made  a  general  recommendation 

20  See    Remarks  of  E.  A.  Brand  of  the  Bureau  of  Manu- 


THE  FEDERATION  MOVEMENT  77 

that  the  commercial  bodies  file  trade  data  con- 
cerning their  constituent  members  so  that  in- 
formation of  foreign  trade  opportunities,  fur- 
nished by  the  Bureau,  could  be  directed  to 
those  interested.^ ^ 

As  a  result  of  this  tour  of  investigation  Mr. 
Brand  wrote:  Special  Agents  Series — No.  60.  Government 

^  '   -I         ^  .        •  -TTT        •  Publications 

Commercial  Organizations,  Washmgton, 
D.  C,  1912.  This  48-page  pamphlet  cites  the 
leading  activities  of  the  organizations  visited, 
including  efforts  to  aid  in  civic  development, 
foreign  trade,  manufacturing  industries,  indus- 
trial expositions,  campaigns  for  conventions, 
publicity,  development  of  wholesale  and  re- 
tail trade,  and  the  improvement  of  transporta- 
tion facilities. 

Supplementing   this    report,    in    1914    the 

factures,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  at  a  meeting 
of  Cleveland  Manufacturers  interested  in  Export  Trade,  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Committee  on  Export  Trade  of 
the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce,  May  8th,  1912.  10 
pages.  Published  by  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce  1912. 
21  See  E.  A.  Brand,  American  Commercial  Organizations, 
in  Daily  Consular  and  Trade  Reports,  December  8,  1911, 
page  1217  ff.  Through  typographical  error  this  citation  is 
made  to  read  December  6  in  Special  Agents  Series — No.  60. 
Commercial  Organizations,  page  47.  See  also  "Bureau  of 
Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,"  page  35  of  pamphlet  en- 
titled. Some  Activities  of  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce during  1913,  showing  co-operation  between  the  Bureau 
and  the  Rochester  Chamber. 


78        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce 
issued:  Special  Agents  Series — No.  79. 
Commercial  Organizations  in  Southern  and 
Western  Cities, — by  Geo.  W.  Doonan,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  1914.  As  the  general  features 
of  commercial  organization  work  were  treated 
in  the  previous  bulletin,  Mr.  Doonan's  mon- 
ograph discusses  in  some  detail  the  character- 
istic work  of  the  associations  in  twenty-five 
isouthern  and  western  cities  and  the  methods 
which  they  have  adopted  to  meet  conditions 
peculiar  to  their  respective  fields. 

The  Bureau  is  also  responsible  for  the  com- 
pilation of  a  list  of  national,  state,  and  local 
commercial  organizations,  issued  1913,  cover- 
ing the  first  81  pages  of  the  pamphlet  entitled: 
Miscellaneous  Series — No.  8.  Commercial 
and  Agricultural  Organizations  of  the  United 
States.  Washington,  D.C.,  1913.""  The  list 
contains  the  names  of  practically  all  commer- 
cial organizations  in  towns  of  2000  inhabitants 
or  more,  and  in  addition  a  concise  statement 
of  facts  regarding  each  organization, — its 
dues,  income,  membership,  special  interests, 
committees,  and  bureaus. 

22  See  page  45. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL 
PRINCIPLES 


CHAPTER  V 

MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES 

When  a  chamber  of  commerce  is  established 
the  members  commonly  draw  up  a  statement 
defining  the  pm-poses  of  the  organization,  and 
at  the  same  time  prepare  a  constitution  and 
by-laws,  giving  to  the  organization  its  struc- 
tural form.  The  purposes  declared  by  the 
founders  are  chief  factors  in  determining  what 
this  form  is  to  be.  The  system  is  adapted  to 
the  work  in  view. 

The  present  type  of  commercial  organiza- 
tion, according  to  Mr.  S.  C.  Mead,^  is  the  Purpose  of 
result  of  commercial  and  industrial  evolution,  commerce 
In  his  opinion  the  main  purpose  of  a  chamber 
of  commerce  is  to  stimulate,  foster,  and  pro- 
tect the  commercial  and  industrial  activities 
of  the  community,  through  co-operation  and  i 
co-ordination    on    the    part    of   the    citizens.  ' 

iS.  C.  Mead,  Secretary  of  the  New  York  Merchants*  Asso- 
ciation, "Methods  of  Commercial  Organizations."  Address  at 
the  Second  Annual  Convention  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  the  U.  S.  A.,  in  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  Ill,  no.  8,  page  6. 

81 


82        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Collateral  subjects  such  as  civics,  social  better- 
ment, and  welfare  work,  are  to  be  approached 
by  the  commercial  organization  only  in  so  far 
as  they  are  related  to  the  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial situation. 

Mr.  Ryerson  Ritchie  also  properly  insists 
First  upon  the  fact  that  the  first  duty  of  a  commer- 

Dnty 

cial  body  is  to  the  financial  and  industrial  in- 
terests of  the  community: 

"It  is  only  when  the  chamber  takes  its  proper 
place  as  the  guardian  of  the  city's  commercial 
credit  and  stability,  the  representative  of  busi- 
ness as  a  whole,  that  it  engenders  a  spirit  of 
confidence  and  respect  that  gives  it  power  and 
influence."  ^ 

Warning  against  the  over-zealous  reform 
work  attempted  by  some  organizations  he  has 
said: 

"When  ycJu  find  a  commercial  body  that  be- 
gins with  politics  and  ends  with  business  you 
will  find  one  that  misses  a  fundamental  element 
of  efficiency  as  a  public  agency.  The  effective 
commercial  organization  begins  with  business 
and  wins  by  forcing  business  into  politics."  ^ 

2  Ryerson   Ritchie,   "The  Modem   Chamber  of   Commerce." 
National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page  161. 

3  Ryerson  Ritchie,  "Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  People.*' 
The  American  City,  Vol.  V,  pages  74-77. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  8S 

The  best  structural  form,  then,  for  a  com- 
mercial organization  is  that  in  which  the  col- 
lateral interests  are  properly  subordinated  to 
the  promotion  and  stimulation  of  the  com- 
munity's industrial  development.  The  con- 
stitution and  by-laws  should  be  framed  with 
this  in  mind. 

CHAMBER  OF   COMMERCE   BY-LAWS 
STANDARDIZED 

The  most  important  single  contribution  of 
recent  years  to  the  strengthening  of  commer- 
cial bodies  throughout  the  country  is  the  set 
of  by-laws  formulated  in  1914  by  the  Com-  Committee 

on  Stand- 

mittee  on  Standardization  of  Commercial  ardization 
Organizations.  This  committee,  appointed  in 
1912  by  the  American  Association  of  Com- 
mercial Executives  and  including  in  its  mem- 
bership many  prominent  secretaries  and  or- 
ganization experts,  made  a  close  study  of  the 
characteristic  structural  forms  of  American 
chambers  of  commerce.^     A  preliminary  re- 

4  The  personnel  of  the  committee  in  1913-14  was,  with  few 
exceptions,  the  same  as  in  1912-13.    The  following  men  have 
at  one  time  or  another  served  as  committee  members: 
Munson  Havens,  Chairman,  Secretary  of  the  Cleveland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce. 
Secretary  Baker  of  the  Ottawa  Board  of  Trade. 


84.        AMERICAN  CHAMBEES  OF  COMMERCE 

port  was  submitted  by  the  committee's  chair- 
man, Mr.  Mmison  Havens,  at  the  1913  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  American  Association.^ 

J.  F.  Carter,  Jr.,  New  Orleans  Association  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  Chapman  of  the  Portland  Commercial  Club. 

P.   T.   Cherington,   Harvard    University   Graduate   School   of 
Business  Administration. 

Secretary  Clendening  of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Kansas  City. 

Secretary    Davison   of   the    Worcester    (Mass.)    Chamber    of 
Commerce. 

G.   Grosvenor   Dawe,   Chief   Editorial  Division,   Chamber   of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States. 

C.  F.  Dehoney,  Manager,  Development  and  Publicity,  Cincin- 
nati Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  Deland  of  the  Denver  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  Gitchell  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  Guild  of  the  Greater  Dayton  Association. 

Secretary     Kennedy    of    the    Montgomery     Business     Men's 
League. 

Vice-President  Lynch  of  the  San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. 

Secretary  McKee  of  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  McKibben  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Secretary  Mead  of  the  New  York  Merchants'  Association. 

H.  F.  Miller,  Business  Manager,  Chicago  Association  of  Com- 
•    merce. 

Secretary  Morley  of  the  Toronto  Board  of  Trade. 

Secretary  Saunders  of  the  St.  Louis  Business  Men's  League. 

Managing    Secretary   Snell   of   the   Charlestown   Chamber   of 
Commerce. 

Secretary    Strong   of    the   Minneapolis    Civic    and   Commerce 
Association. 

Secretary  Wiggins  of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Secretary    Woodward    of    the    Rochester    Chamber    of    Com- 
merce. 
5  First  report  of  the  Committee  on  Standardization  of  Com- 
mercial   Organizations    made    by    Chairman    Munson    Havens, 

Secretary   of   the    Cleveland    Chamber    of   Commerce,    at   the 

1913  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Association  of  Com- 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  COMMERCE  85 

This  report  contains  a  statement  of  ten  struc- 
tural principles  which  in  the  committee's  opin- 
ion should  be  observed  in  the  by-laws  of  all 
commercial  organizations.  It  is  rendered  in- 
teresting by  the  inclusion  of  the  main  argu- 
ments advanced  by  members  of  the  committee 
in  support  of  their  views  on  disputed  points. 

Supplementing  the  preliminary  report  the 
committee  prepared  a  set  of  by-laws,  based  on 
the  ten  structural  principles  and  suitable  for 
chambers  of  commerce  in  cities  ranging  from 
10,000  to  100,000  population.  These  by-laws  standard 
have  been  approved  by  the  National  Associa-  Approved 
tion  of  Commercial  Organization  Secretaries, 
a  body  recently  formed  by  the  consolidation 
of  the  Central  and  American  Associations. 

Owing  to  the  great  practical  value  of  the  ten 
structural  principles  and  the  standard  by-laws 
for  chambers  of  commerce  which  are  attempt- 
ing to  organize  or  to  reform  their  organiza- 
tion, these  principles  and  by-laws  are  given 
below  in  full. 

mercial  Executives,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  September  25  to  2T, 
1913.  See  also  speech  of  S.  C.  Mead,  made  at  the  Second 
Annual  Meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  U.  S.  A. 
The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  II,  no.  3,  page  13,  and  Greater 
New  York,  Vol.  Ill,  no.  8,  page  6. 


86        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 
STRUCTURAL   PRINCIPLES 

1.  The  scope  and  purpose  of  the  organiza- 
tion are  stated  in  terms  sufficiently  broad  to 
include  every  activity  to  be  undertaken. 

2.  The  qualifications  for  membership  in- 
clude all  eligible  persons,  with  reasonable  re- 
quirements as  to  their  character,  financial  re- 
sponsibility, and  sympathy  with  the  objects  of 
the  organization.  A  member  may  be  sus- 
pended or  expelled  for  cause. 

3.  Meetings  of  the  entire  organization  are 
held  at  intervals,  the  members  being  also  em- 
powered to  enforce  a  demand  for  a  special 
meeting  and  to  prevent  the  precipitation  with- 
out notice  of  a  subject  and  action  thereon  at 
any  meeting. 

4.  Sufficient  income  is  provided  at  regular 
intervals  to  enable  the  organization  to  do  its 
work.  The  expenditure  and  auditing  of  funds 
is  in  accordance  with  business  methods. 

5.  The  source  of  nomination  for  the  gov- 
erning group  of  the  organization  is  the  mem- 
bership at  large,  the  members  exercising  a 
choice  in  the  election  of  nominees  to  the  gov- 
erning group. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  87 

6.  The  governing  group  has  ample  power 
and  certain  jurisdiction;  but  its  action  may  be 
reversed  in  a  regular  manner  by  the  organiza- 
tion. At  stated  intervals  the  governing  group 
is  required  to  present  a  report  to  the  member- 
ship. 

7.  The  governing  group  elects  the  officers 
of  the  organization. 

8.  Committees  are  named  by  the  president 
subject  to  confirmation  by  the  governing 
group,  their  actions  being  subject  to  review 
by  the  governing  group  before  becoming  the 
actions  of  the  organization.  But,  general 
policies  and  their  interpretation  having  been 
fixed  by  the  governing  group,  a  committee  has 
reasonable  freedom  of  action  in  specific  cases. 

9.  The  executive  officer  of  the  organization 
is  elected  by  the  governing  group,  and  has  the 
power  of  appointing  and  discharging  all  em- 
ployees. Salaries  are  fixed  by  the  governing 
group  or  by  a  committee  duly  delegated. 

10.  Proper  facilities  are  afforded  for  the 
amendment  of  the  by-laws. 


88        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

BY-LAWS 

Article  I 

OBJECTS 

^  1.  Objects  Defined 

The Chamber  of  Commerce  is  organ- 
ized for  the  purpose  of  advancing  the  com- 
mercial, industrial  and  civic  interests  of  the 

city  of ;  to  promote  integrity  and  good 

faith;  just  and  equitable  principles  in  business; 
uniformity  in  commercial  usages;  and  to  ac- 
quire, preserve  and  distribute  industrial,  com- 
mercial and  civic  statistics  and  information  of 
value;  to  discover  and  correct  abuses;  to  pre- 
vent or  adjust  controversies;  to  have  a  part  as 
representing  our  city  in  the  consideration  and 
decision  of  state  and  national  issues. 

2.  Limitation  of  Methods 

This  chamber  in  its  activities  shall  be  non- 
partisan, non-sectional  and  non-sectarian,  and 
shall  take  no  part  in  or  lend  its  influence  to  the 
election  or  appointment  of  any  candidate  for 
state,  county  or  city  office. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  89 

Article  II 

MEMBERSHIP 

1.  Classes  of  Membership 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  shall  be 

composed  of  active  members  and  honorary 
members. 

Men  of  good  standing,  interested  in  the  com- 
mercial, industrial  and  civic  progress  of  the 
city  shall  be  eligible  for  active  membership. 
Distinction  in  public  affairs  shall  confer  eligi- 
bility to  honorary  membership.  Honorary 
membership  shall  include  all  the  privileges  of 
active  membership  except  that  of  holding 
office,  with  exemption  from  the  payment  of 
all  fees  and  dues. 

2.  Active 

Candidates  for  active  membership  shall 
make  written  application  to  the  board  of  direc- 
tors and  this  application  shall  be  regarded  as 
a  guarantee  on  the  part  of  the  applicant  of  his 
interest  in  and  sympathy  with  the  purposes  of 
the  organization,  and  of  his  adherence,  if 
elected,  to  its  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations. 
Election  to  active  membership  shall  require 


90         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

the  recommendation  of  the  membership  com- 
mittee and  an  affirmative  vote  of  the  directors. 
Ten  days'  notice  of  approval  by  the  member- 
ship committee  shall  be  posted  on  the  bulletin 
board.  Objection  to  any  applicant  recom- 
mended for  election  by  the  membership  com- 
mittee shall  be  communicated  to  the  board  of 
directors  before  the  meeting  of  the  board  at 
which  the  name  of  the  candidate  is  to  be  con- 
sidered. At  each  regular  meeting  of  the 
chamber  the  names  of  members  elected  since 
the  preceding  meeting  shall  be  announced. 

3.  Honorary 

Honorary  members  may  be  nominated  by 
the  membership  committee  and  elected  by  the 
board  of  directors.  A  proposal  to  confer 
honorary  membership  may  be  made  in  writing 
to  the  membership  committee  by  any  member 
of  the  chamber.  If  the  membership  committee 
approves  such  proposal  the  name  shall  be  pre- 
sented in  nomination  to  the  directors  with  a 
brief  statement  of  the  reasons  therefor.  If 
such  nomination  shall  be  approved  by  the 
hoard  of  directors  announcement  of  such  ap- 
proval shall  be  posted  on  the  bulletin  board  for 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL.  PRINCIPLES  91 

a  period  of  ten  days.  Objection  thereto  may 
be  communicated  to  the  board  of  directors  in 
writing  within  this  period.  If  a  nominee  shall 
receive  an  affirmative  vote  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors he  shall  be  declared  elected.  Two 
negative  votes  shall  defeat  approval  by  the 
membership  committee  of  a  proposal  for 
honorary  membership  and  three  negative 
votes  shall  defeat  election  by  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. Every  election  to  honorary  member- 
ship shall  be  announced  to  the  chamber  at  its 
first  meeting  thereafter.  An  honorary  mem- 
bership may  be  revoked  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors at  any  time. 

4.  Dues 

Each  active  member  shall  pay dollars 

annually  as  dues  toward  the  maintenance  of 
the  chamber.  These  dues  shall  be  payable  on 
the  first  day  of .  Members  elected  dur- 
ing the  fiscal  year  shall  pay  pro  rata  for  the 
months  intervening  between  the  date  of  elec- 
tion and  the  first  day  of . 

5.  Delinquency 
If  any  member  shall  fail  to  pay  his  dues 
within  three  months  after  date  of  maturity. 


92        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

his  name  shall  be  posted  on  the  bulletin  board 
for  a  period  of  ten  days,  and  written  notice  of 
delinquency  shall  be  given  to  him  by  the  treas- 
urer. If  at  the  end  of  ten  days  he  still  re- 
mains delinquent  his  membership  may  be  for- 
feited by  action  of  the  board  of  directors. 

6.  Rebatement 
The  directors  shall  have  the  power  to  rebate 
the  dues  of  any  delinquent  member  and  con- 
tinue his  membership  in  good  standing.  The 
directors  may  also  rebate  the  dues  of  any  mem- 
ber unable  to  avail  himself  of  the  privileges  of 
the  organization  by  reason  of  illness,  absence 
from  the  city,  or  any  cause,  during  the  period 
that  such  cause  is  existent. 

7.  Resignations 
All  resignations  shall  be  tendered  to  the 
board  of  directors  in  writing.  A  resignation  re- 
ceived after  a  payment  is  due  shall  not  relieve 
the  member  presenting  such  resignation  from 
liability  for  the  dues  of  the  year  entered  upon. 

8.  Expulsion 
Any  member  may  be  expelled  for  cause  by 
resolution  passed  by  two-thirds  of  the  entire 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  93 

board  of  directors  at  any  meeting  called  for 
this  purpose.  Such  member  shall  be  notified 
of  the  intention  of  the  board  to  consider  his 
expulsion  and  shall  be  given  the  opportunity 
of  a  hearing  before  the  board,  but  shall  not  be 
represented  by  professional  counsel.  Passage 
of  such  resolution  shall,  without  other  act  on 
the  part  of  the  board  of  directors,  annul  such 
membership. 

Article  III 

BOARD   OF  DIRECTORS 

The  government  of  the  chamber,  the  direc- 
tion of  its  work  and  the  control  of  its  property 
shall  be  vested  in  a  board  of  directors  consist- 
ing of  fifteen  members,  who  shall  be  elected 
annually  as  hereinafter  provided.  Their  du- 
ties shall  begin  within  the  three  days  following 
their  election,  when  they  shall  meet,  qualify 
and  elect  from  their  own  number  a  president, 
two  vice-presidents  and  a  treasurer.  They 
shall  also  annually  elect  a  secretary  and  fix  his 
salary.  The  secretary  shall,  upon  his  election, 
become  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors. 
The   directors   shall   have   power   to   fill   all 


94         AMERICAlSr  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

vacancies  in  the  board.  They  may  adopt  rules 
and  regulations  for  conducting  the  business  of 
the  chamber.  They  shall  meet  not  less  fre- 
quently than  once  a  month.  They  shall  sub- 
mit in  writing  at  the  annual  meeting  a  full  re- 
port of  the  work  and  finances  of  the  organiza- 
tion. 

Article  IV 

OFFICERS 

1.  President 

The  president  shall  preside  at  all  meetings 
of  the  chamber  and  board  of  directors.  He 
shall  perform  all  duties  incident  to  his  office 
and  advise  such  action  as  may  be  deemed  by 
him  likely  to  increase  the  usefulness  of  the 
chamber. 

2.  Vice-Presidents 

The  first  or  second  vice-president  shall  act 
in  the  absence  of  the  president;  and  in  the  ab- 
sence or  disability  of  the  three  officers  named, 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  shall  be 
chosen  to  act  temporarily. 


MODERN  STEUCTUEAL  PRINCIPLES  95 

3.  Treasurer 

The  treasurer  shall  receive  and  disburse  the 
funds  of  the  chamber.  He  shall  keep  all 
moneys  of  the  chamber  deposited  in  its  name. 
At  frequent  intervals  he  shall  make  reports  to 
the  board  of  directors,  which  shall  require  him 
to  give  acceptable  bond,  in  such  sum  as  the 
board  may  determine,  for  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  his  duties. 

4.  Secretary 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  con- 
duct the  official  correspondence,  preserve  all 
books,  documents  and  communications,  keep 
books  of  account,  and  maintain  an  accurate 
record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  chamber,  board 
of  directors  and  all  committees.  He  shall  ap- 
point, have  general  supervision  over  and  may 
dismiss  all  employees  of  the  chamber.  He  shall 
perform  such  duties  as  may  be  incident  to  his 
office,  subject  to  the  direction  of  the  board  of 
directors.  He  shall  give  bond  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  his  duties  in  such  amount  as 
the  directors  may  determine.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  office,  he  shall  deliver  to  the 


96        AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

board  of  directors  all  books,  papers  and  prop- 
erty of  the  chamber. 


Article  V 

COMMITTEES 

1.  Appointment 

The  president  shall  appoint  all  committees, 
subject  to  confirmation  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. It  shall  be  his  duty  to  appoint  an  execu- 
tive committee  and  a  membership  committee. 

2.  Executive 

The  executive  committee,  composed  of  five 
members  of  the  board  shall  transact  all  routine 
business  of  the  chamber,  shall  act  for  the  board 
in  the  interim  between  its  meetings,  shall  have 
authority  to  order  disbursements  for  the  neces- 
sary expenses  of  the  organization  and  audit  the 
same  for  payment.  The  executive  committee 
shall  fix  the  salaries  of  all  appointive  employees 
of  the  chamber.  It  shall  have  supervision  of 
the  rooms  and  property  of  the  chamber;  it 
shall  submit  at  the  meeting  of  the  board  re- 
ports of  its  actions  or  minutes  of  its  proceed- 
ings for  confirmation. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  97 

3.  Auditing 

The  president  shall  nominate  an  auditing 
committee  at  a  meeting  of  the  chamber  prior 
to  the  annual  meeting.  The  chamber  may- 
approve  or  change  the  personnel  of  this  com- 
mittee. It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  auditing 
committee  to  examine  and  audit  the  books  and 
accounts  of  the  treasurer  and  the  secretary  at 
the  close  of  the  year's  business  and  report  its 
findings  to  the  board  of  directors  and  to  the 
chamber  at  its  annual  meeting. 

4.  Authority  of  Committees 

It  shall  be  the  function  of  committees  to  in- 
vestigate and  make  recommendations.  They 
shall  report  in  writing  to  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. No  standing  or  special  committee  shall 
represent  the  chamber  in  advocacy  of  or  op- 
position to  any  project  without  the  specific 
confirmation  of  the  board  of  directors,  or  such 
confirmation  as  may  be  clearly  granted  under 
general  powers  delegated  by  the  board  of  di- 
rectors to  that  committee. 


98         AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

5.  Committee  Meetings 

Meetings  of  committees  may  be  called  at 
any  time  by  the  president  or  by  the  chairman 
of  such  committees. 

6.  Ea?  Officio 

The  president  and  secretary  shall  be  ecc 
officio  members  of  all  committees,  unless  other- 
wise ordered. 

Article  VI 

SUBSIDIARY   ORGANIZATIONIS 

1.  Formation 

Any  number  of  members  who  may  desire  to 
be  associated  together  as  a  board,  section,  ex- 
change or  association,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
moting more  effectively  the  special  trade,  in- 
dustry, business  or  profession  in  which  they 
are  interested,  may  form  a  board  of  the  cham- 
ber of  commerce. 

2.  Application 

The  desire  to  form  any  board  shall  be  com- 
municated to  the  board  of  directors  in  a  peti- 
tion signed  by  not  less  than  ten  members,  who 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES  99 

would  be  eligible  to  membership  in  such  a 
board  if  formed,  and  if  the  board  of  directors 
shall  approve  the  formation  of  such  board,  the 
secretary  shall  issue  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  all 
members  likely  to  be  interested  therein. 

S.  Authority 
If  two-thirds  of  those  called  shall  favor  the 
formation  of  such  board,  this  fact  shall  be  re- 
ported in  writing  to  the  board  of  directors, 
who  shall  issue  a  certificate  of  organization 
bearing  the  seal  of  the  chamber  and  the  signa- 
ture of  its  president  and  secretary;  but  such 
certificate  shall  not  be  issued  until  the  board  of 
directors  shall  have  approved  all  by-laws, 
rules  and  regulations  adopted,  or  proposed  to 
be  adopted,  by  such  board. 

4.  By-laws 
Each  board  of  the  chamber  of  commerce  may 
adopt  such  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  as 
it  may  consider  necessary  for  its  proper  gov- 
ernment; but  no  by-law,  rule  or  regulation 
shall  be  adopted  by  any  board  which  shall  in 
any  way  conflict  with  the  purposes  and  objects 
of  the  chamber  as  set  forth  in  its  charter,  by- 
laws, rules  and  regulations. 


100      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

5.  Indebtedness 
No  board  of  the  chamber,  or  any  member 
thereof,  shall  contract  any  debt  in  its  behalf 
which  shall  in  any  manner,  or  to  any  extent, 
render  the  chamber  liable  for  the  payment  of 
any  smn,  unless  the  same  shall  have  been  ap- 
proved by  the  board  of  directors  of  the  cham- 
ber. 

6.  Resolution 

No  action  or  resolution  of  any  board  shall 
be  binding  upon,  or  expressive  of  the  sense  of, 
the  chamber  of  commerce. 

7.  Dissolution 

Any  board  of  this  chamber  may  be  dissolved 
by  the  directors  upon  petition  approved  by 
two-thirds  of  the  members  of  said  board  pres- 
ent at  a  meeting  officially  called  for  the  pur- 
pose of  considering  such  dissolution;  and  any 
board  may  be  suspended  or  dissolved  by  the 
board  of  directors  for  any  action  contrary 
to  the  charter,  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations 
of  the  chamber. 

8.  Reports 
Boards  or  associations,  in  affiliation  with  the 
chamber,  shall  submit  to  the  board  of  direc- 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES         101 

tors  reports  of  their  condition  and  reviews  of 
their  proceedings  at  least  once  a  year. 

Article  VII 

MEETINGS 

1.  Annual 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  chamber  shall  be 

held  on  the  third  Tuesday  in of  each  year. 

Regular  meetings  of  the  chamber  shall  take 
place  upon  dates  determinable  by  the  board  of 
directors  not  less  frequently  than  once  in  three 
months.  Special  meetings  of  the  chamber 
may  be  called  whenever  the  directors  deem  it 
desirable.  Twenty  members  shall  constitute 
a  quorum  at  any  regular  or  special  meeting  of 
the  chamber. 

2.  Special 

A  special  meeting  of  the  chamber  or  the 
board  of  directors  shall  be  called  upon  the 
written  request  of  ten  members  of  the  cham- 
ber. 

3.  Business 

At  all  special  meetings  of  the  chamber  only 
such  business  as  the  meeting  was  called  to  con- 
sider shall  be  discussed  and  acted  upon. 


102       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

4.  Executive 

Upon  motion  of  any  member,  the  chamber 
may  by  a  two-thirds  vote  go  into  executive  ses- 
sion. 

5.  Speeches 

No  member  shall  be  permitted  to  speak  more 
than  twice  or  longer  than  ten  minutes  each 
time  on  a  single  subject  except  by  a  two-thirds 
vote  of  those  present. 

6.  Exclusion 

No  one  but  a  member  shall  address  the 
chamber  except  by  invitation  of  the  directors 
or  by  unanimous  consent  of  the  meeting. 

7.  Resolutions 

A  resolution  offered  at  any  meeting  must 
be  in  writing,  and  no  member  shall  read  or 
offer  for  action  any  communication,  report  or 
resolution,  unless  it  has  previously  had  the  ap- 
proval of  the  board  of  directors,  without  first 
making  a  general  statement  of  the  subject 
matter  thereof.  Should  any  two  members 
object  to  its  presentation  it  shall  be  referred 
to  an  advisory  committee  of  three,  to  be  im- 
mediately appointed  by  the  presiding  officer. 


MODERN  STRUCTUEAL  PRINCIPLES         103 

After  hearing  any  statement  the  member  of- 
fering the  resolution  or  the  members  objecting 
to  its  presentation  may  desire  to  make,  this 
advisory  committee  shall  report  the  matter 
back  to  the  meeting  with  its  recommendation 
that  the  matter  be  presented  to  the  meeting,  or 
that  its  presentation  be  deferred.  If  the  com- 
mittee recommends  that  its  consideration  be 
deferred  the  resolution  in  question  shall  be  re- 
ferred to  the  board  of  directors  with  power  to 
act,  subject  only  to  the  provisions  of  Article 
VII,  Sections  2  and  3  of  these  by-laws. 

Article  VIII 

ELECTIONS 

1.  Elections 

The  election  of  directors  shall  be  held  on  the 
Tuesday  in of  each  year. 


2.  Nominating 

At  the  last  regular  meeting  of  the  chamber 
prior  to  the  annual  election,  a  vote  shall  be 
taken  by  ballot  on  open  nomination,  for  the 
selection  of  a  nominating  committee.  Due 
notice   of  such  meeting  shall  be   previously 


104      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

given  to  each  member  by  the  secretary.  The 
five  members  receiving  the  highest  number  of 
votes  cast  shall  constitute  the  nominating  com- 
mittee. 

3.  Official 

The  nominating  committee  shall  prepare  a 
list  of  twenty-eight  candidates,  to  be  known 
as  the  "ofiicial  ticket,"  from  which  members 
may  select  fourteen  for  directors. 

4.  Report 

The  report  of  the  nominating  committee 
shall  be  posted,  and  a  printed  copy  thereof 
mailed  to  each  member  of  the  chamber  at  least 
six  days  prior  to  the  annual  election. 

5.  Polls 

The  polls  shall  be  open  from  12  m.  until  5 
P.  M.  on  the  day  of  the  annual  election. 

6.  Result 

The  fourteen  candidates  receiving  the  high- 
est number  of  votes  cast  at  the  annual  election 
shall  be  constituted  and  declared  members  of 
the  board  of  directors  for  the  ensuing  year. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES         105 

7.  Tie 

In  the  election  of  directors,  should  a  tie  vote 
occur,  the  committee  of  judges  shall  cast  lots 
and  certify  as  elected  the  person  or  persons  on 
whom  the  selection  falls. 

8.  Unofficial 

Any  twenty-five  members  of  the  chamber 
may  nominate  a  different  ticket  or  tickets  by 
posting  the  same,  over  their  signatures,  on  the 
bulletin  board,  not  later  than  three  days  previ- 
ous to  the  annual  election. 

9.  Voting 

All  voting  shall  be  by  ballot.  No  proxies 
shall  be  allowed.  A  plurality  of  the  votes  cast 
shall  constitute  an  election. 

10.  Ldmitation 

Members  shall  be  limited  to  one  vote  each 
ballot  for  any  one  candidate  at  any  election. 

11.  Judges 

The  president  shall  appoint  and  announce 
at  the  meeting  when  the  nominating  commit- 
tee is  elected,  a  committee  of  five  judges,  who 


106      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

are  not  members  of  the  board  of  directors  or 
candidates  for  election  as  such,  to  have  super- 
vision of  the  election,  and  such  committee  shall 
serve  from  the  opening  of  the  polls  until  the 
result  has  been  ascertained. 

12.  Certificates 
The  committee  of  judges  shall  cause  to  be 
issued  to  each  director  elected  a  certificate  of 
his  election,  bearing  the  signatures  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee. 

Article  IX 

DISBURSEMENTS 

No  disbursements  of  the  funds  of  the  cham- 
ber shall  be  made  unless  the  same  shall  have 
been  approved  and  ordered  by  the  executive 
committee  or  board  of  directors.  All  disburse- 
ments shall  be  made  by  check.  Checks  shall 
be  signed  by  the  secretary  and  countersigned 
by  the  president,  or  one  of  the  vice-presidents, 
or  the  treasurer. 

No  appropriation  of  money  or  other  prop- 
erty of  the  chamber  shall  be  made  for  any  pur- 
pose other  than  to  defray  its  legitimate  ex- 
penses, except  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 


MODERN  STRUCTUKAL.  PRINCIPLES  107 

members  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  board  of 
directors,  or  a  four-fifths  majority  vote  of 
those  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  chamber. 

Article  X 

SEAL 

The  chamber  of  commerce  shall  have  a  seal 
of  such  design  as  the  board  of  directors  may 
adopt. 

Article  XI 

PARLIAMENTARY   RULES 

The  proceedings  of  the  chamber  meetings 
shall  be  governed  by  and  conducted  according 
to  the  latest  edition  of  Roberts'  Manual  of 
Parliamentary  Rules. 

Article  XII 

AMENDMENTS 

1.  By-laws 

These  by-laws  may  be  amended  or  altered 
by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  those  present  at  any 
regular  or  special  meeting,  provided  notice 
of  the  proposed  change  shall  have  been  posted 


108      AMERICAN  CHAMBEES  OF  COMMERCE 

on  the  bulletin  board  and  mailed  by  the  secre- 
tary to  each  member  not  less  than  ten  days 
prior  to  such  meeting. 

2.  Approval 

All  proposed  amendments  shall  first  receive 
the  approval  of  the  board  of  directors. 

SUGGESTED  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS 
1.  Hours 

The  rooms  of  the  chamber  shall  be  open 
daily  from  8  a.  m.  until  5  p.  m.,  except  Sun- 
days and  holidays,  and  Saturdays  after  12  m. 
They  shall  also  be  open  at  other  times  for  meet- 
ings of  the  chamber,  board  of  directors,  com- 
mittees or  boards,  and  by  order  of  the  execu- 
tive committee. 

2.  Use  of  Rooms 

The  rooms  shall  be  primarily  for  the  use  of 
members  and  guests,  but  may  be  used  for  meet- 
ings of  public  interest,  or  of  any  branch  of 
trade,  business  or  profession  represented  in  the 
membership  of  the  chamber,  but  permission 
must  be  obtained  from  the  executive  commit- 
tee prior  to  such  meeting. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES         109 

3.  Visitors 

A  member  may  personally  introduce  a  vis- 
itor to  the  privileges  of  the  chamber  by  record- 
ing the  name  and  residence  of  his  guest,  to- 
gether with  his  own,  in  the  visitors'  register, 
which  shall  entitle  such  person  to  the  privileges 
of  the  chamber  for  a  period  of  two  weeks.  A 
card  of  membership  in  any  commercial  organi- 
zation of  good  standing  in  the  United  States 
shall  entitle  the  holder  to  the  privileges  of  the 
chamber  for  a  period  of  not  exceeding  two 
weeks.  Such  period  may  be  extended  by  ap- 
proval of  the  executive  committee. 

4.  Registration 

Persons  not  members  attending  any  meeting 
shall  be  expected  to  register. 

5.  Press 

The  courtesies  of  the  chamber  shall  be  ex- 
tended to  duly  accredited  representatives  of 
the  press. 

6.  Cards 

A  membership  card  shall  be  issued  annually 
to  each  member,  who  will  present  it  on  enter- 
ing, when  so  requested. 


110      AMEEICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

7.  Books,  etc. 

No  book,  publication,  or  other  property  of 
the  chamber  shall  be  taken  from  the  rooms,  ex- 
cept by  authority  of  the  executive  committee. 

8.  Pictures,  etc. 

No  pictures  or  works  of  art  shall  be  placed 
in  the  rooms  without  permission  of  the  execu- 
tive committee. 

9.  Advertisements 

No  advertisements  of  any  nature  shall  be 
placed  in  the  rooms  without  the  consent  of  the 
executive  committee. 

10.  Gratuity 

No  member  shall  give  any  gratuity  to  any 
employee;  any  employee  receiving  a  gratuity 
shall  be  immediately  dismissed. 

11.  Complaint 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  members  to  pre- 
sent in  writing  to  the  board  of  directors  any 
complaint,  and  to  offer  in  writing  any  sugges- 
tions, with  a  view  to  improvement  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  chamber. 


MODERN  STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES         111 

PLAN    OF   THE   NEW    YORK   MERCHANTS' 
ASSOCIATION 

A  brief  statement  of  the  plan  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Association  will  serve  to  show  the  prac- 
tical apphcation  of  its  by-laws  to  the  manage- 
ment of  its  affairs.  The  members  elect  a  board 
of  directors  and  commit  to  them  all  authority 
and  responsibility  for  the  conduct  of  the  or- 
ganization's business  during  the  year.  How- 
ever, the  members  reserve  the  right  and  the 
opportunity  to  control  the  board  by  a  proviso 
in  the  by-laws  whereby  any  five  members,  with- 
out the  concurrence  of  any  officers  or  directors, 
may  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  membership. 

The  board  of  directors  meets  every  month.  Meetings 
special  meetings  being  held  as  occasion  re-' 
quires.  Between  meetings  the  power  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  board 
of  directors;  this  committee  carefully  follows 
the  general  policy  of  the  directors.  Its  meet- 
ings are  held  weekly  and  special  meetings  may 
be  called  at  any  time.  The  executive  commit- 
tee is  the  point  at  which  all  the  various  lines 
of  the  organization's  activity  are  co-ordinated 
and  harmonized.     The  center  of  responsibil- 


112      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ity,  however,  is  in  the  officers,  annually  elected 
by  the  board  of  directors. 

Action  on  the  part  of  the  board  or  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  is  always  preceded  by  com- 
mittee investigations  and  reports.  The  presi- 
dent appoints  the  members  of  each  committee 
and  gives  them  authority  to  investigate  and 
recommend,  but  no  power  to  act.  Their 
recommendation  is  sent  to  the  executive  com- 
mittee and  thence  to  the  board  of  directors,  by 
whom  a  final  decision  is  made. 

After  the  policy  has  been  determined,  re- 
suff*  sponsibility     for    its     administration     passes 

through  the  secretary  to  the  official  staff  of  the 
organization.  This  staff  represents  the  vari- 
ous lines  of  the  Association's  activity:  indus- 
trial development,  conventions,  publicity,  traf- 
fic, etc.  The  administrative  work  of  the  com- 
mercial secretary  will  be  described  particularly 
in  the  next  chapter. 

An  objection  to  a  system  that  vests  all  the 
executive  authority  in  the  board  of  directors, 
though  it  is  theoretically  subject  to  the  con- 
trol of  the  membership,  is  that  it  results  in  loss 
of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  membership  at 
large.     To  avoid  this  criticism  the  Merchants' 


MODERN   STRUCTURAL  PRINCIPLES         113 

Association  has  established  a  Members'  Coun-  Members' 

T    •  •  /»      i_      Council 

cil,  representing  about  150  divisions  oi  the 
membership,  and  designed  to  be  a  connecting 
link  between  the  machinery  of  the  organization 
and  its  members.  This  Council  has  no  power 
of  action,  but  may  recommend  to  the  board  of 
directors  subjects  which  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Council  should  be  taken  up  by  the  Associa- 
tion.^ 

The  structure  herewith  described  is  not  pe- 
culiar to  the  Merchants'  Association,  but  is 
found  in  other  representative  organizations, 
modified  according  to  individual  opinions  and 
local  requirements/     The  form  is  of  the  sort 

6  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  I,  no.  36,  page  9  ff.  *The  Machin- 
ery of  the  Merchants*  Association." 

7  See  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building,  Chapter  I,  "The  Commer- 
cial Organization:  Approved  Methods  of  Organizing."  Also 
see  The  Madison  Board  of  Commerce,  issued  1914  by  the  pub- 
licity committee  of  this  body.  Page  10,  "How  the  Board 
Does  Its  Work."  The  activity  of  this  organization  is  grouped 
under  three  heads:  1,  the  division  of  business  development; 
2,  the  division  of  public  affairs;  and  3,  the  division  of  organi- 
zation affairs. 

The  Commercial  Club  of  Clinton,  Iowa,  is  governed  by  a 
board  of  15  directors,  each  being  the  chairman  of  a  standing 
committee.  This  plan  makes  a  strong  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  governing  body  and  the  committee  members  inter- 
ested in  the  various  branches  of  the  Club*s  activity.  See  Spe- 
cial Agents  Series — No.  79.  Commercial  Organizations  in 
Southern  and  Western  Cities.  By  Geo.  W.  Doonan.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  1914.  Pages  51-54  "The  Commercial  Club  of 
Clinton,  Iowa." 


114      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

that  ensures  promptness,  elasticity,  and  effi- 
ciency,— factors  which  largely  determine  the 
success  of  all  co-operative  efforts. 

See  Special  Agents  Series — No.  60.  Commercial  Organiza- 
tions, by  E.  A.  Brand.  Washington,  D.  C,  1912.  Pages  42- 
43,  "Membership."  Also  see  Special  Agents  Series — No.  79. 
Commercial  Organizations  in  Southern  and  Western  Cities, 
by  Geo.  W.  Doonan,  Washington,  D.  C,  1914.  Page  8, 
"Methods  of  Financing."  See  also  Carl  Dehoney,  "The 
Financing  of  Commercial  Organizations,"  pages  40-45,  Pro- 
ceedings, Fourth  Annual  Convention,  The  Central  Association 
of  Commercial  Secretaries.  See  also  J.  D.  Biggers,  "Asso- 
ciation Revenues,"  pages  14-17,  Proceedings,  Fifth  Annual 
Convention,  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries. 


THE  TRAINING  AND  WORK  OF 

THE  COMMERCIAL 

SECRETARY 


I 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  TRAINING  AND  WORK  OF  THE  COM- 
MERCIAL SECRETARY 

The  functions  of  the  secretary  of  a  commer- 
cial organization  are  so  varied  and  require  so 
wide  a  knowledge  of  affairs  that  modern 
boards  of  trade  may  well  be  said  to  have  created 
a  new  profession.  The  recent  efforts  of  these 
bodies  to  do  fundamental  things  by  way  of  im- 
proving civic  and  commercial  conditions  have 
opened  up  a  large  field  of  activity.  The  sec- 
retary is  the  executive  upon  whom  the  respon- 
sibility for  achievement  largely  rests. 

The  history  of  American  commercial  organi-  Three 
zations  is  divided  into  three  periods.  The  first 
of  these  covered  the  wide-spread  impulse  to 
form  local  bodies  for  the  protection  of  trade 
interests.  In  the  second  period  the  trade 
bodies  sought  efficiency  by  combining  in  vari- 
ous interstate  and  sectional  unions,  the  move- 
ment  culminating   in   the   formation   of   the 

United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce.     Thus 

117 


118      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

methods  and  policies  were  formulated  and  the 
foundations  laid  for  a  new  science.  The  rec- 
ognition of  this  science  by  schools  and  universi- 
ties and  the  recent  installation  of  courses  for 
the  preliminary  training  of  commercial  secre- 
taries marked  the  beginning  of  the  third  period. 
At  the  first  annual  banquet  of  the  United 

Secretarial     States  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  January  1913 

Advocated     President  Taf  t  said : 

"You  will  have  to  have  a  school  from  which 
the  new  chambers  of  commerce  can  draw  their 
secretaries,  who  will  train  the  new  membership 
in  the  way  in  which  the  organization  can  be 
built  up  and  give  them  a  practical  knowledge 
of  how  they  can  do  what  they  are  organized  to 
do."  -^ 

This  innovation  in  teaching  had  already 
been  seriously  considered  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, but  definite  action  had  been  postponed 
until  its  practicability  could  be  more  fully  de- 
termined. In  1913,  however,  at  a  meeting 
held  in  Cambridge,  attended  by  Elliot  H. 
Goodwin,  General  Secretary  of  the  United 
States  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  John  H. 
Fahey,  representing  the  Boston  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  together  with  members  of  the  staff 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       119 

of  the  Harvard  Graduate  School  of  Business 
Administration,  a  plan  providing  for  two  years  Harvard 

Courses 

of  study  was  drawn  up  and  approved,  going 
into  effect  in  September  1913. 
.  The  plan  of  training  combines  several  exist- 
ing courses  with  certain  new  courses  of  a 
highly  specialized  character.  Studies  for  the 
first  year  include  commercial  organization, 
business  law,  municipal  government,  and  a 
new  course  in  the  work  and  methods  of  trade 
bodies.  In  the  latter  the  various  forms  of  ac- 
tivity in  which  chambers  of  commerce  and  sim- 
ilar bodies  engage  are  examined  in  the  light  of 
the  actual  experience  of  progressive  organiza- 
tions. The  methods  employed  to  secure  new 
industries  and  better  industrial  conditions  are 
described  in  detail.  The  course  provides  for 
a  comparison  of  American  commercial  organi- 
zations with  those  of  the  other  countries  and 
gives  a  survey  of  the  federation  movement. 
The  work  is  supplemented  by  actual  experi- 
ence in  committee  work  in  the  Boston  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  in  other  organizations. 
During  the  second  year  a  course  will  be  given 
in  business  policy,  together  with  corporation 
finance,    railroad   rate   making,    and    foreign 


120      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

trade.  Finally  the  student  learns  to  deal  with 
the  problems  of  trade  body  management  and 
examines  the  various  methods  of  organizing 
and  conducting  committee  work.^ 

The  first  year's  enrolment  in  the  Harvard 
secretarial  courses  included  fourteen  men. 
During  the  last  term  of  the  college  year 
1913-14  this  class  conducted  an  industrial  sur- 
vey of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  which  Asst.-Prof. 
Cherington  expects  to  form  the  basis  of  some 
important  constructive  work  to  be  undertaken 
by  the  Cambridge  Board  of  Trade.  Mr. 
Cherington  has  also  succeeded  in  establishing 
connections  with  nearby  commercial  bodies  in 
New  England  so  as  to  furnish  to  the  students 
an  abundance  of  practice  work. 

After  completing  two  years  of  study  a  man 
will  be  unquestionably  well  fitted,  as  far  as 
actual  knowledge  and  practical  experience  can 

1  Harvard  University  Graduate  School  of  Business  Ad- 
ministration, Pamphlet  and  Schedule  of  Courses,  1913-1914. 
Pages  2S-24.  Frequent  magazine  comment  includes  the  fol- 
lowing: The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  11,  page  16;  ho. 
12,  page  2;  no.  14,  pages  2  and  7.  Vol.  II,  no.  3,  page  12. 
(Boston)  Chamber  of  Commerce  News,  Vol.  IV,  no.  1,  page 
4;  no.  48,  page  7.  The  World's  Work,  Vol.  XXVI,  page  479. 
See  also  speech  of  Mr.  P.  T.  Cherington  at  the  Fifth  Annual 
Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secre- 
taries, page  36  if.  of  the  Proceedings. 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       121 

help  him,  to  fill  a  position  as  commercial  secre- 
tary. Whether  or  not  the  theory  of  conscious 
preparation  for  the  work  is  sound  will  in  time 
be  demonstrated  by  the  success  or  failure  of 
graduates  of  this  department  of  Harvard. 
Though  the  field  is  not  large  it  is  rapidly  devel- 
oping in  interest  and  importance.    There  are,  it  Estimated 

-    .  Number  of 

IS  estimated,  about  3000  positions  now  filled  by  commercial 
salaried  commercial  secretaries  in  this  country, 
and  in  many  organizations,  in  addition  to  the 
secretary,  a  number  of  assistants  are  employed. 
Harvard  has  been  the  first  to  provide  secre- 
tarial  training   of    the    sort   just    described, 
though   other   institutions   are   now  working 
along  similar  Unes.     The  great  demand  for 
men  trained  to  analyze  municipal  problems  has 
resulted  in  a  general  movement  to  provide  for 
their    appropriate    instruction.     In    this    the 
University  of  Wisconsin,  Northwestern  Uni-  commercial 
versity,  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  the  Training 
University    of    Pennsylvania    have    figured 
prominently.^     The  fact  that  commercial  or- 

2  In  addition  to  several  municipal  courses  the  University  of 
Wisconsin  has  a  course  in  business  organization  and  man- 
agement. According  to  Prof.  S.  W.  Gilman,  letter  of  August 
10,  1914,  the  demand  at  Wisconsin  is  insufficient  to  justify 
the  maintenance  of  a  separate  course  of  training  for  com- 


122      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ganizations  are  turning  their  attention  to  civic 
matters,  making  it  necessary  for  their  secre- 
taries to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  this  new  field, 
lends  particular  interest  to  the  recent  estab- 
lishment of  several  courses  in  civics. 

Typical  of  them  is  the  Cornell  University 
Course  "Coursc  in  Citizenship,"  endowed  by  several 

izenship  alumni  and  alumnae,  and  inaugurated  in  the 
autumn  of  1913.  The  course  consisted  of  lec- 
tures by  non-resident  lecturers,  alternating 
with  class  periods  conducted  by  a  member  of 
the  department  of  political  science.  The  scope 
of  this  course  is  indicated  by  the  titles  of  lec- 
tures given  in  the  college  year  1913-14:  ^ 

"the  citizen  and  his  community ;  the  citizen  and 
the  recreation  needs  of  the  conmiunity ;  the  citi- 
zen and  the  schools;  the  citizen  and  problems 
of  poverty ;  the  citizen  and  labor  problems ;  the 
citizen  and  public  health;  the  citizen  and  prob- 
lems of  crime ;  the  citizen  and  the  homes  of  the 
community ;  the  citizen  and  problems  of  immi- 
gration; the  citizen  and  the  physical  develop- 
ment of  his  community;  the  citizen  and  poli- 

mercial  secretaries.  The  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and 
Conmierce,  a  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
offers  training  for  civic  work  or  secretarial  work  covering  the 
last  three  years  of  a  four-year  course  at  the  University. 

3  Pages  5-11   Syllabus,  of  the  Course  in  Citizenship.    Cor- 
nell University,  First  Term,  191»-14. 


WOEK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       123 

tics ;  the  citizen  and  the  Church ;  the  citizen  and 
the  Press;  the  citizen  and  civic  and  social  or- 
ganizations." 

Secretary  Munson  Havens  of  the  Cleveland 
Chamber  of  Commerce  delivered  the  lecture 
on  the  citizen  and  the  physical  development  of 
his  community,  presenting  some  of  the  ques- 
tions of  city  planning  and  improvement.  Other 
prominent  speakers  were  New  York  City 
Chamberlain  Henry  Bruere,  author  of  The 
New  City  Government^  and  Prof.  Jeremiah 
W.  Jenks,  Director  of  the  division  of  public 
affairs  at  New  York  University. 

In  New  York  City  a  Training  School  for  TTainin^ 

■n    1  T      o         •        1         1  1  •  School  for 

Public  Service  has  been  opened,  representing  Public 

Service 

the  most  notable  eflPort  yet  made  to  educate 
men  for  civic  work.  Through  a  gift  of  Mrs. 
E.  H.  Harriman  this  school  was  established  in 
1911  as  a  department  of  the  New  York  Bu- 
reau of  Municipal  Research.  All  applicants 
for  admission  are  examined  as  to  their  fitness 
for  public  service  and  only  those  who  are  con- 
sidered to  be  well  qualified  are  admitted. 
After  that,  every  student  is  given  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  his  ability  and  in  case  of  mani- 
fest failure  he  is  notified  at  once. 


124.      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

A  recent  report  summarizes  the  purposes  of 
the  school  as  follows :  * 

1.  To  train  young  men  of  executive  ability 
for  the  study  and  administration  of  public 
business. 

2.  To  meet  the  growing  demand  for  stu- 
dents and  administrators  able  to  test  the  ef- 
ficiency of  present  methods  of  municipal  service 
and  to  introduce  improved  methods. 

3.  To  work  out  and  publish  handbooks  on 
various  departments  of  public  service  and 
methods  of  testing  and  increasing  the  efficiency 
of  public  service  in  all  departments. 

4.  To  furnish  a  municipal  literature  for  the 
use  of  graduate  students  in  schools  and  col- 
leges. 

5.  To  emphasize  the  need  for  special  train- 
ing on  the  part  of  city  officials  and  employees. 

The  work  is  eminently  practical  and  is  based 
on  the  fundamental  idea  that  the  way  to  secure 
the  most  effective  training  is  to  do  services  that 
some  community  needs  to  have  done.  The  as- 
signments generally  require  students  to  work 
with  public  officers  or  employees,  or  with  the 

4  Page  4,  1912  Annual  Report.  Training  School  for  Pub- 
lic Service.  Conducted  by  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Re- 
search, New  York  City.  See  further,  1913  Annual  Report, 
Training  School  for  Public  Service  and  Six  Years  of  Munici- 
pal Research  for  Greater  New  York — 1912^  Bureau  of  Mu- 
nicipal Research. 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       125 

staff  of  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 
Chambers  of  commerce  are  looking  to  the 
Training  School  for  their  secretaries  and  ac- 
cording to  the  1912  Report  of  this  institution 
the  following  extract  from  an  inquiry  is  typi- 
cal:^ 

"The  above  organization  contemplates  the 
employment  of  a  secretary  who  could  give  his 
whole  time  to  the  work  of  the  Chamber,  his 
duties  to  consist  of  such  organization  work  as 
would  ordinarily  be  transacted  by  the  secre- 
tary; in  addition  to  which  we  should  want  him 
to  investigate  such  subjects  as  might  come  un- 
der the  heading  of  Municipal  Research  and  to 
take  care  of  a  publicity  campaign  to  bring  be- 
fore the  public  at  large  the  advantages  of  the 
city.  .  .  ." 

In  addition  to  the  institutions  that  have  been  Training  by 

.      ,  1         ^    J  -1  ...  Commercial 

cited  we  also  find  commercial  organizations  Bodies 
active  in  the  movement  to  provide  civic  and 
commercial  training.  For  example  the  Chi- 
cago Association  of  Commerce  during  each 
year  conducts  several  excursions  for  the  sons 
of  its  members  in  order  to  teach  them  how  large 
industries  are  organized  and  how  the  work  of 

5  Page  27,  1912  Report.    Training  School  for  Public  Serv- 


126      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

the  Association  is  conducted.^  The  Detroit 
Board  of  Commerce  has  established  a  trans- 
portation school  for  the  instruction  of  young 
traffic  managers  and  shipping  clerks  in  the  lo- 
cal manufacturing  establishments  J  The  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  in  1900 
provided  for  the  founding  of  the  School  of 
Commerce,  Accounts,  and  Finance  at  New 
York  University,  is  now  planning  a  college  of 
commerce  with  a  museum  of  commerce  and 
civics,  to  be  controlled  by  a  managing  board 
of  trustees  of  both  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

6  See  also  J.  M.  Guild,  "The  Boys'  Dinner,"  Proceedings 
of  the  Fifth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association 
of  Commercial  Secretaries,  pages  12-14.  The  World's  Work, 
Vol.  XXVII,  pages  616-617,  describes  the  Winston-Salem,  (N. 
C),  Plan  in  which  the  boys  and  young  men  of  the  community 
are  given  an  opportunity  to  aid  in  industrial  development. 
In  May  1914  this  periodical,  page  113  fiF.,  cites  the  work  of 
the  Commercial  Club  of  Evanston,  111.,  in  training  boys  for 
citizenship. 

7  See  also  The  American  City,  Vol.  X,  no.  1,  page  47,  Janu- 
ary 1914,  regarding  the  foundation  of  the  Syracuse  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  Institute,  open  to  employees  of  all  business 
concerns.  Also  American  Year  Book,  1913,  page  394, 
"Chambers  of  Commerce  in  Vocational  Education";  and  A.  E. 
Dodd  and  C.  A.  Prosser,  What  Chambers  of  Commerce  Can 
Do  for  Vocational  Education,  (pamphlet).  The  Nation's 
Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  17,  page  14,  "Commercial  Organizations 
and  Educational  Benefits."  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building,  Chap- 
ter X,  "Education." 


WOEK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY      127 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY 

As  the  secretary  is  frequently  the  only  sal- 
aried official  in  a  commercial  organization  it  is 
natural  that  he  shbuld  have  supervision  of  all 
the  necessary  routine.  In  the  Boston  Cham-  Duties 
ber  of  Commerce,  for  instance,  the  secretary  is 
in  complete  charge  of  the  administrative  and 
executive  work  and  has  the  appointment  and 
direction  of  all  employees.  He  superintends 
the  preparation  and  publication  of  reports  on 
commercial,  industrial,  and  public  matters. 
Ex  officio  a  member  of  all  committees  he  acts 
as .  their  secretary,  personally  or  by  deputy. 
The  records  of  the  Chamber,  the  directors,  and 
the  committees  are  in  his  custody.  Moreover, 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Boston  Chamber 
may  at  their  discretion  assign  to  the  secretary 
other  special  duties.* 

It  is  a  fault  of  organization  if  the  secretary 
is  handicapped  by  lack  of  authority  and  is  com- 
pelled to  wait  for  the  sanction  of  the  directors 
before  taking  any  active  measures.  Many 
bodies  have  accordingly  adopted  the  plan  of 

,8  By-laws    of   the    Boston    Chamber   of   Commerce,    Article 
VI,  Section  3. 


128      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

making  him  the  manager  and  authorizing  him 
to  act  for  the  association.  Under  this  arrange- 
ment the  board  of  directors  forms  a  check  on 
mismanagement  in  accordance  with  the  estab- 
Kshed  principles  of  corporation  control.^ 
The  supervision  of  routine  work  in  the  ma- 
Thc  Secre-     jority  of  Organizations  does  not  by  any  means 

tary  as  an  •    •  n     t 

Expert  measure  the  activity  of  the  secretary.     As  a 

paid  expert  he  is  also  supposed  to  know  how 
the  funds  of  his  organization  may  most  wisely 
be  expended,  and  in  what  direction  the  power- 
ful influence  of  its  various  committees  may  be 
turned  most  effectively.^^  And,  since  each 
committee  needs  as  an  incentive  the  idea  that 
it  is  the  real  creator  of  results,  the  secretary 
must  make  the  committee  feel  responsible  for 
these  results,  though  in  fact  he  may  be  doing 
the  major  part  of  the  work.^^  Upon  the  sec- 
retary, moreover,  devolves  the  duty  of  keeping 
the  organization  and  the  membership  active. 

9  Page  13,  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building:  a  citation  of  meth- 
ods in  use  in  more  than  one  hundred  cities  for  the  solution 
of  important  problems  in  the  progressive  growth  of  the  Amer- 
ican   municipality.    Clark    Publishing    Co.,    Cincinnati,    1913. 

10  Editorial:  "Profession  of  Power  and  Promise,"  The 
American  City,  Vol.  VII,  page  311. 

11 L.  E.  Wilson,  Secretary  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Com- 
merce, "Increasing  the  Effectiveness  of  Commercial  Organi- 
zations," The  American  City,  Vol.  V,  page  201. 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       129 

The  interest  and  co-operation  of  the  members 
can  be  secured  only  by  informing  them  of  the 
work  that  is  being  accomplished.^^  With  this 
in  view  efficient  secretaries  make  efforts  to 
secure  newspaper  publicity  for  their  organiza- 
tions/^ 

Several  of  the  larger  bodies  publish  their 
own  periodicals,  the  task  of  preparation  falling  Publications 
largely  upon  the  secretaries.     Among  these 
publications  are  the  following: 

Atlanta  Chamber  of  Commerce  Progress. 

Chicago  Commerce.  \ 

Chicago  Municipal  Development  Maga- 
zine. 

Current  Affairs  (formerly  Boston  Chamber 
of  Commerce  News) . 

Detroiter. 

Greater  Dayton. 

Greater  New  York. 

New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin. 

Providence  Board  of  Trade  Journal. 

12  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building,  page  16. 

13  W.  B.  Wreford,  Asst.  Secretary  of  the  Detroit  Board  of 
Commerce,  "Co-operation  of  Commercial  Organizations  with 
the  Press,"  Proceedings  of  the  Fourth  Annual  Convention  of 
the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries,  page 
15  ff. 


provemeiit 


130      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce  Jour- 
nal, 

Scranton  Board  of  Trade  and  Engineering 
Journal. 

Worcester  Magazine, 

The  secretary  has  a  great  opportunity  to 
Civic  im-  lead  the  way  in  civic  improvement,  though  no 
constructive  work  of  his  can  be  effective  unless 
he  enlists  the  support  of  the  citizens/*  The 
value  of  his  organization  to  the  community  de- 
pends upon  his  careful  consideration  of  civic 
improvements  in  their  relation  to  one  well-sus- 
tained plan.  In  view  of  these  facts  it  is 
requisite  that  the  secretary,  to  use  a  by-word, 
"know  his  own  city."  To  this  end  he  should 
be  especially  familiar  with  the  local  govern- 
ment and  understand  thoroughly  agricultural 
and  trade  conditions.^^ 

i*See  H.  H.  Strong,  Secretary,  Minneapolis  Civic  and  Com- 
merce Association,  "Democracy,  the  Duty  and  Opportunity 
of  the  Commercial  Organization,"  Proceedings  of  the  Fifth 
Annual  Convention  of  The  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries,  pages  18-20.  Also  H.  V.  Eva,  Secretary,  Com- 
mercial Club  of  Duluth,  "Meetings,"  Proceedings  of  the  Fifth 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries,  pages  21-22.  Also  same,  pages  3&-39,  M.  C. 
Huggett,  Secretary,  Grand  Rapids  Association  of  Commerce, 
"Membership  Work*" 

isThorndike  Deland,   Secretary,  Denver  Chamber  of  Com- 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       131 

As  the  result  of  a  questionnaire  sent  to  all 
commercial  bodies  in  the  United  States  having  Preliminary 
a  membership  of  100  or  over  Mr.  Cherington  ^^^^^^^ 
has  discovered  an  interesting  fact  regarding 
the  preliminary  training  of  their  secretaries. 
The  replies  received  by  him  show  that  in  cities 
of  from  10,000  to  50,000  44  per  cent,  of  the 
secretaries  were  formerly  newspaper  men;  in 
cities  of  over  50,000  this  percentage  was  34.^^ 
It  is  probable  that  more  commercial  executives 
have  come  from  journalism  than  from  any 
other  field.  The  training  in  publicity  and 
knowledge  of  events  which  they  bring  with 
them  are  invaluable  assets  in  the  new  profes- 
sion. 

A  description  of  the  secretary's  activities 
would  be  incomplete  without  mention  of  the  secretarial 
various  State  and  interstate  associations  of  ^®^^®^ 
commercial  executives.  Organization  into  sec- 
tional bodies  is  a  progressive  step  taken  by  the 
secretaries  themselves  during  the  last  few 
years. ^^     Through  their  meetings  they  have 

merce,  "Know  Your  Own  City,"  Proceedings  of  the  Fourth 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries,  page  12  If. 

16  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  II,  no.  3,  page  12. 

17  At   a  joint   convention    of   the   American   Association   of 
Commercial  Executives  and  the  Central  Association  of  Com- 


132      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

been  enabled  to  discuss  methods  of  increasing 
efficiency,  and  to  render  mutual  assistance  by 
exchanging  ideas  based  on  the  results  of  their 
experience.  Some  of  these  organizations  print 
the  proceedings  of  their  annual  meetings,  in- 
cluding the  principal  addresses  and  discussions, 
thus  furnishing  the  secretary  with  a  series  of 
reference  books. 

Another  source  of  information  available  for 
Municipal     Commercial  secretaries  is  found  in  the  bureaus 

Bureaus  and       _  -   -      ^  t  •   •      i        /»  v 

Libraries  of  municipal  rcscarch,  municipal  reierence  li- 
braries, and  university  bureaus  of  research  and 
reference.  New  York,  Dayton,  Cincinnati, 
Baltimore,  and  Philadelphia  are  among  the 
more  important  cities  having  bureaus  of  mu- 
nicipal research.  The  New  York  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research,  formerly  the  Bureau  of 
City  Betterment,  was  incorporated  in  May 
1907  and  has  shown  great  activity  and  effi- 
ciency in  collecting  data,  making  municipal 
surveys,  at  the  instigation  oftentimes  of  cham- 
bers of  commerce,  and  generally  building  up 

mercial  Secretaries  held  in  Cincinnati,  September  1914,  a  con- 
solidation was  effected,  the  new  organization  adopting  the 
name:  National  Association  of  Commercial  Organization  Sec- 
retaries. New  England,  the  southern  states,  and  many  other 
sections  have  secretarial  bodies. 


WORK  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  SECRETARY       133 

the  foundations  of  the  new  civic  sciences.  Chi- 
cago supports  a  Bureau  of  Public  Efficiency. 
Typical  of  the  reference  libraries  is  the  New 
York  Municipal  Reference  Library,  located  in 
the  new  Municipal  Building.  The  University 
of  Wisconsin  has  built  up  a  large  municipal 
reference  bureau.  The  American  City  Bu- 
reau, New  York  City,  maintains  a  service  for 
managing  exhibits,  supplying  municipal  data, 
and  otherwise  assisting  commercial  and  civic 
secretaries.  This  Bureau  has  issued  a  Selected 
List  of  Municipal  and  Civic  Books,  and  pub- 
lishes The  American  City,  a  monthly  maga- 
zine devoted  to  municipal  topics.  All  these 
centers  of  municipal  information  act  as  clear- 
ing-houses for  the  vast  amount  of  data  con- 
stantly being  collected  by  civic  experts  in  all 
branches. 

It  would  be  impracticable  to  describe  the 
many  fields  of  work  in  which  commercial  sec- 
retaries are  occupied,  though  each  is  important 
and  deserving  of  mention.     The  modern  sec-     ^ 
retary,  it  is  said,  is  "a  business  man,  an  organ-  The  Modern 
izer,  a  diplomat,  a  strategist,  a  mixer,  and  an  Defined 
all-around  man  of  versatile  ability."  ^^     Many 

18  The  Nation's  Bv^iness,  Volume  I,  no.  5,  page   12.    See 


134      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

references  to  his  work  and  influence  will  be 
found  in  succeeding  chapters. 

also  J.  M.  Guild,  "About  the  Commercial  Secretary."  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Fourth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Central 
Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries,  pages  8-10;  W.  G. 
Bruce,  "The  Future  Status  of  the  Commercial  Secretary," 
Proceedings  of  the  Fifth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Central 
Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries,  pages  9-11;  also  pages 
43-44,  same.  P.  T.  Cherington,  "List  of  Readings  for  Com- 
mercial Secretaries,"  prepared  for  the  Central  Association  of 
Commercial  Secretaries  from  reading  lists  used  in  the  Har- 
vard Secretarial  Courses. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF 
COMMERCE 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

Cleveland  was  the  first  American  city  to  es- 
tablish a  modern  chamber  of  commerce.^  The 
latter  has  been  selected  for  particular  study  as  leadingr 
it  is  a  leading  example  of  a  commercial  body  Body 
that  is  also  in  the  best  sense  a  civic  organiza- 
tion. The  secretaries  of  thirty  prominent  com- 
mercial organizations  in  the  United  States  re- 
cently voted  to  place  the  Cleveland  Chamber 
in  the  front  rank  as  the  body  that  in  their  opin- 
ion had  done  most  to  improve  its  city  and  to 
stimulate  civic  loyalty  on  the  part  of  the  citi- 
zens.^    The  success  of  the  Cleveland  associa- 

1  "The  Modem  Chamber  of  Commerce"  by  Ryerson  Ritchie. 
National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.   I,  pages   161,  167. 

2  See  Appendix,  page  259,  for  details  of  this  vote  and  two 
statements  of  the  result,  prepared  to  show  the  returns  in  two 
diflFerent  ways.  Recently  in  conferring  upon  Secretary  Mun- 
son  Havens  of  the  Cleveland  Chamber  the  honorary  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts,  Oberlin  College  recognized  him  as  "a 
man  whose  enlightened  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  organized 
commercial  activities  of  Cleveland  have  been  imitated  the 
country  over." 

137 


138      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

tion  in  civic  work  has  earned  it  the  title  of 
"Chamber  of  Citizenship." 

Cleveland's  rapid  advance  in  population 
Cleveland's  during  the  past  twenty  years  is  largely  due  to 
the  efforts  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  to 
unite  the  citizens  and  to  make  them  a  cohesive 
force  for  civic  development.  Cleveland  has 
overtaken  thirty-six  cities  and  has  been  passed 
by  none.  The  famous  slogan  "Sixth  City"  in- 
dicates its  present  rank  in  American  munici- 
palities. Mr.  Ryerson  Ritchie,  a  keen  observer 
of  American  municipal  affairs,  has  pointed  out 
that  the  growth  of  five  midland  cities,  Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati,  Buffalo,  Pittsburgh,  and  De- 
troit, within  the  last  two  decades  has  been  pro- 
portional to  the  relative  efficiency  of  their  com- 
mercial bodies.^  Thus,  taking  the  census 
figures  in  1890,  Cincinnati  led,  followed  by 
Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Pittsburgh,  and  Detroit. 
Ten  years  later  Cleveland  was  in  the  first  posi- 
tion, Buffalo  was  second  and  Cincinnati  had 
fallen  to  third,  while  the  standing  of  the  other 
two  cities  remained  unchanged.  In  1910 
Cleveland  held  the  lead,  closely  pressed  by 

3  Ritchie,  "The  Modern  Chamber  of  Commerce."    National 
Municipal  Review,  Vol.  1,  page  161. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       1S9 

Pittsburgh;  Detroit  rose  into  third  place  and 
Buffalo  and  Cincinnati  came  next  in  the  order 
named.  Among  these  five  cities  Cincinnati, 
which  has  not  yet  succeeded  in  uniting  her  citi- 
zens in  a  comprehensive  body,  has  fallen  from 
first  to  last  place.  In  Cleveland,  Detroit,  and 
Pittsburgh,  the  cities  that  have  forged  ahead,  a 
healthier  civic  spirit  obtains,  stimulated  and 
directed  by  their  respective  commercial  as- 
sociations. The  recent  reorganizations  ef- 
fected by  the  commercial  bodies  in  Pittsburgh 
and  Buffalo  have  already  been  productive  of 
good  results. 

The  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce  was 
formerly  known  as  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  Board 
City  of  Cleveland,  organized  in  1848.     The  Trade 
objects  of  the  earlier  association  as  set  forth  in 
its  constitution  were: 

"to  promote  integrity  and  good  faith;  just  and 
equitable  principles  of  business;  discover  and 
correct  abuses;  establish  and  maintain  uni- 
formity in  commercial  usages;  acquire,  pre- 
serve and  disseminate  valuable  statistics  and 
information;  prevent  or  adjust  controversies 
and  misunderstandings  arising  between  per- 
sons engaged  in  trade ;  and  generally  to  foster, 
protect   and   advance   the   commercial,    mer- 


140      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Reorgan- 
ization in 
1893 


Factors  in 
Success  of 
Chamber 


cantile   and   manufacturing   interests   of   the 
city."  ^ 

The  Board  of  Trade  was  from  the  first  an 
efficient  body,  but  kept  strictly  within  the  field 
of  business.  In  1893  it  was  reorganized  as 
the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  in- 
corporated under  the  laws  of  the  State.  The 
scope  of  its  activities  was  then  enlarged  to  in- 
clude civic  work,  an  entirely  new  field  as  far 
as  commercial  associations  were  concerned. 
At  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  certain  spe- 
cial trade  bodies  there  were  no  other  commer- 
cial organizations  in  Cleveland.  The  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  was  therefore  in  a  favorable 
position  to  make  its  work  valuable  to  the  city. 

If  we  inquire  into  the  causes  for  the  instant 
success  of  the  Cleveland  Chamber,  it  seems 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  three  main  factors 
were  the  stimulus  afforded  by  the  increasing 
importance  of  the  city,  the  persistent  energy 
of  a  small  group  of  business  men,  who  paved 
the  way  for  the  founding  of  the  Chamber,  and 
the  able  management  of  the  Chamber's  affairs 
by  Mr.  Ryerson  Ritchie,  the  first  secretary  of 

*  Reprinted  page  25,  1912  Annual  Report  Cleveland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE      141 

that  body.  The  rapid  industrial  growth  of 
Cleveland,  together  with  improved  conditions 
of  trade  and  transportation,  naturally  created 
a  keen  spirit  of  civic  enthusiasm.  This  spirit 
had  been  stimulated,  previous  to  the  reorgani- 
zation of  1893,  by  the  Cleveland  Board  of 
Trade  Committee  on  the  Promotion  of  Indus- 
try. The  committee's  efforts  produced  a 
wider  sentiment  among  business  men  in  favor 
of  progressive  measures.  They  saw  the  ad- 
vantage to  the  city  of  united  work  and  the 
necessity  of  having  an  organization  so  well 
equipped  that  it  would  invite  the  active  interest 
of  the  citizens.  When  the  Chamber  had  been 
established  the  difficult  task  of  combining  all 
the  elements  in  the  new  organization  was  ac- 
complished by  Secretary  Ritchie. 

The  history  of  the  Cleveland  Chamber  since 
the  reorganization  of  1893  contains  many  nota- 
ble achievements.  One  of  its  first  acts  was  the 
calling  together  of  a  State  conference  of  com- 
mercial associations,  resulting  in  the  formation 
of  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Commerce  in  1893. 
Under  the  leadership  of  President  Harry  A.  consular 
Garfield  in  1899  this  body  started  a  movement 
for  the  reform  of  the  United  States  consular 


142      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

service.  At  that  time  a  bill  was  drafted  and 
introduced  into  Congress  as  the  Lodge-Burton 
Bill.  To  the  Chamber's  continued  support  of 
consular  reform  must  be  attributed  the  final 
success  of  the  movement,  as  the  essential  pro- 
visions of  the  original  bill  have  since  been  made 
law.  The  year  1899  also  marked  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Building  on 
the  Public  Square. 

Taking  up  the  problem  of  the  Cleveland 

slum  districts,  the  Chamber  in  1902  appointed 

Housing:        a  committee  on  housing  conditions  which  was 

Conditions  m  i        p 

responsible  for  the  enactment  of  necessary 
State  legislation  and  the  passage  of  the  Cleve- 
land building  code.  The  latter,  which  is  re- 
garded as  a  model,  prohibits  the  erection  of 
unsanitary  or  unsafe  buildings  and  also  over- 
crowding. To  rerfiedy  existing  conditions  the 
Chamber  obtained  from  the  Legislature  au- 
thority for  the  city  to  prohibit  the  occupancy 
of  buildings  not  conforming  to  the  regulations 
adopted  by  the  Council.  Later  the  city  au- 
thorities were  empowered  to  condemn  and  raze 
all  structures  which  were  entirely  unfit  for  oc- 
cupancy. 

During  the   investigation   of  the   housing 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       143 

problem  the  committee  found  that  in  one  dis- 
trict of  the  city,  having  about  5000  popula- 
tion, there  were  only  eleven  bathtubs,  most  of 
them  being  used  for  coalbins.  This  discovery 
resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  special  com- 
mittee, through  whose  efforts  a  bond-issue  was 
secured,  providing  for  the  building  of  three 
public  baths  in  this  crowded  section  of  the  city.  Public 
The  total  annual  attendance  at  these  places  is 
500,000.  Another  outgrowth  of  the  housing 
investigation  was  the  creation  of  a  committee 
on  playgrounds  which,  in  co-operation  with 
several  municipal  departments,  mapped  out  a 
system  of  recreation  centers  which  the  city  au- 
thorities duly  adopted. 

Against  strong  political  opposition  the 
Cleveland  Chamber  in  1904  worked  for  the 
passage  of  a  school  code  drafted  by  the  Cham- 
ber's committee  on  education.  Though  failing 
of  complete  success  in  this  instance,  the  Cham- 
ber secured  the  amendment  of  the  successful 
measure  in  a  number  of  important  particulars. 

Several  major  achievements  of  the  Cleveland 
Chamber  are  treated  individually  in  subsequent 
pages.  Mention  should  be  made  of  others,  not 
included,  notably  the  river  and  harbor  improve- 


144      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ments  described  in  several  committee  reports 
published  by  the  Chamber.  The  installation 
of  efficient  meat  inspection  in  Cleveland,  the 
removal  of  dangerous  grade  crossings,  the 
placing  of  high  pressure  water  mains  in  the 
business  districts,  and  the  adoption  of  a  mod- 
ern and  logical  method  of  street  numbering  are 
some  results  of  the  Chamber's  work  which  can 
only  be  cited  without  comment. 

At  the  present  time  the  general  business  in- 
terests of  Cleveland  are  conserved  within  the 
Chamber.     Compared  with  other  bodies  it  is 
unique  in  embracing  all  the  lines  of  trade  in 
Sub-Organ-    the  city.^     In  addition  to  the  parent  orejaniza- 

izations  .  _  ,  x-  o 

tion  there  are  sub-organizations,  for  example 
the  Retail  Merchants  Board,  the  Manufac- 
turers and  Wholesale  Merchants  Board,  and 
the  Convention  Board,  which  have  been  formed 
within  the  Cleveland  Chamber  for  special  pur- 
suits. Since  Cleveland  passed  the  half -million 
mark  in  recent  years  a  number  of  independent 
sectional  organizations  have  been  founded,  such 
as  the  West  Side  Chamber  of  Industry  and 
the  South  End  Board  of  Trade;  also  several 

c"The   Cleveland   Chamber   of   Commerce,"   J.   J.    Sullivan 
and  F.  A.  Scott.    Harpefa  Weekly,  Vol.  XL VIII,  page  628. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       145 

of  the  special  interests  have  formed  bodies, 
notably  the  Real  Estate  Board  and  the  Elec- 
tric League.  The  work  of  these  organizations, 
however,  in  no  way  interferes  with  that  of  the 
Chamber,  the  only  commercial  body  truly  rep- 
resentative of  the  city's  business  interests.  As 
evidence  of  its  untiring  activity,  the  Chamber,  Meetings 
its  directors,  boards,  and  committees  hold  from 
500  to  700  meetings  each  year.  The  thor- 
oughness with  which  this  organization  does  its 
work  is  illustrated  by  the  conferences  of  a  com- 
mittee appointed  in  1906  to  consider  one  of  the 
phases  of  the  troublesome  street  railway  prob- 
lem. The  committee  members,  some  of  the 
busiest  men  of  affairs  in  Cleveland,  held  36 
meetings  within  three  months,  thfe  sessions 
averaging  two  hours. 

In  all  important  respects  the  structural  form 
of  the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce  fol- 
lows the  ten  fundamental  principles  drawn  up 
by  the  Committee  on  Standardization  and 
stated  on  pages  86  and  87.  The  members  stmctnrai 
elect  a  board  of  directors,  who  in  turn  choose 
the  officers  from  their  own  number.  The  pres- 
ident has  the  appointment  of  seven  standing, 
and  many  special,  committees. 


146      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Special 
Reports 


The  Chamber  of  Commerce  issues  no  peri- 
odical, but  from  time  to  time  prints  committee 
Animal  and  reports  containing  matters  of  general  civic  in- 
terest. The  Annual  Report  of  the  Chamber 
is  in  the  form  of  a  cloth-bound  volume  summar- 
izing the  work  of  the  organization  during  the 
past  year.  An  indication  of  the  growth  of  the 
organization  and  the  constantly  widening  scope 
of  its  activities  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  the  first 
published  annual  in  1894  required  but  123 
pages;  the  annual  of  1914,  404  pages  of  con- 
densed material.^ 

To  the  three  secretaries  of  the  Cleveland 
Chamber  who  have  successively  held  office  since 
1893  must  be  attributed  in  large  degree  the 
pre-eminence  of  this  body.  Secretary  Ritchie, 
— 1893-1898,  supplied  the  inspiration  and 
"civic  vision"  which  have  marked  the  organiza- 
tion's achievements.  He  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Cleveland  Chamber  in  1900  and 
later  in  effecting  the  consolidation  of  the  com- 
mercial bodies  in  Boston  demonstrated  the 
same  qualities  which  made  his  work  in  Cleve- 
land successful. 

6F.  C.  Howe,  "Cleveland's  Education  thru  its  Chamber  of 
Commerce."  The  Outlook,  Vol.  LXXXIII,  pages  739-749,  show- 
ing the  organization  and  influence  of  the  Cleveland  Chamber. 


The  Cham- 
ber's Three 
Secretaries 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       147 

Secretary  Scott,  1898-1905,  made  a  record 
for  loyal  performance  of  duty. 

''Mr.  Scott,"  writes  Mr.  Ritchie,  *Vas  the 
servant  of  the  Chamber  and  a  faithful  and  able 
servant.  .  .  .  The  history  of  this  organization 
cannot  be  written  without  honorable  mention 
of  his  name  and  services."  '^ 

Upon  his  resignation  as  secretary,  Mr.  Scott 
was  elected  to  the  board  of  directors,  the  va- 
cancy left  by  him  being  filled  by  Mr.  Havens, 
the  present  secretary.  Under  his  able  man- 
agement the  Chamber  has  increased  in  mem- 
bership and  civic  importance. 

THE  CLEVELAND  FEDERATION  FOR  CHARrTY  AND 
PHILANTHROPY 

The  rapid  increase  of  population  enjoyed 
by  Cleveland  has  of  itself  made  necessary  a 
considerable  increase  of  the  city's  benevolences. 
But  these  have  undoubtedly  grown  even  faster 
than  has  the  population  as  a  result  of  the 
broadening  of  Cleveland's  social  interests  and 
the  advancement  of  her  civic  ideals.  In  May 
1900  there  were  as  many  as  fifty-one  charitable 
institutions  in  the  city.     The  Chamber  of  Com- 

7  Letter  of  Mr.  Ryerson  Ritchie,  September  25,  1914. 


148      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Committee 
on  Benev- 
olent As- 
sociations 


merce,  therefore,  in  order  to  be  of  service  to 
the  organizations  deserving  public  support,  cre- 
ated a  Committee  on  Benevolent  Associations, 
'  the  first  in  this  country  to  be  connected  with  a 
civic  or  commercial  body.^  Its  duties  were  to 
protect  the  giving  public  against  solicitation 
for  unworthy  purposes  and  thus  to  assist 
worthy  and  efficient  institutions  whose  income 
had  been  adversely  affected  by  the  existence  of 
much  fraudulent  solicitation.  To  this  end  the 
committee  carefully  investigated  all  charitable 
organizations  in  the  city  and  issued  a  card  of 
endorsement  to  those  whose  work  and  methods 
met  with  the  approval  of  the  conmiittee.  In 
order  to  carry  out  its  policy  the  committee  de- 
manded compliance  with  certain  requirements, 
in  general  that  the  charitable  association  should 
fill  an  existing  need  not  otherwise  properly 
filled;  agree  to  co-operate  with  other  benevo- 
lent bodies  in  promoting  efficiency  and  econ- 
omy of  effort;  and  collect  and  distribute  its 
funds  according  to  a  method  approved  by  the 
committee. 

Members  of  the  Chamber  of  Conmierce  and 


8  0.  W.   Williams,  "Cleveland's   Federated   Givers, 
of  Reviews,  October  1913,  page  472. 


Review 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE      149 

the  contributing  public  were  requested  to  eon- 
tribute  only  to  those  bearing  the  card  of  en- 
dorsement. At  first  contributors  were  in- 
clined to  rely  on  their  own  judgment,  pursuing 
the  policy  of  former  years.  The  committee 
found  it  necessary,  therefore,  to  inaugurate  a 
campaign  of  education  along  these  lines. 
When  it  was  found  that  a  contributor  had 
given  to  an  unendorsed  institution  he  was 
called  by  telephone  and  the  reason  for  the  com- 
mittee's refusal  to  endorse  was  explained  to 
him.  The  Chamber  by  means  of  circulars,  and^ 
aided  by  the  Press,  notified  its  members  of  un- 
worthy institutions  that  were  still  receiving 
public  support.  Thus  after  years  of  education  ^ 
and  development  the  community  came  to  rec-^ 
ognize  the  value  of  the  committee's  work.  The  committee 
committee  members  have  frequently  been  con-  consSiSd^ 
suited  in  the  preparation  of  wills  and  the  dis- 
tribution of  estates,  with  the  view  of  securing 
an  equitable  disposition  of  the  funds  be- 
queathed to  charity.  In  1910  delegates  from 
New  York,  Pittsburgh,  and  other  prominent 
cities  visited  Cleveland  to  make  a  special  study 
of  the  committee's  work  and  to  benefit  by  its 
ten  years'  experience. 


150      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

A  decade  of  careful  supervision  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Benevolent  Associations  was  excep- 
tionally beneficial  to  worthy  organizations. 
Nevertheless  it  did  not  solve  certain  problems 
in  connection  with  the  philanthropic  work  of 
the  city.  Some  of  the  most  reliable  organiza- 
tions experienced  great  difficulty  in  raising 
sufficient  money  to  carry  on  their  work,  while 
other  less  important  societies  showed  a  sur- 
plus. Moreover,  the  demands  upon  a  certain 
class  of  contributors  known  to  be  charitably 
inclined  became  a  great  burden.  The  commit- 
tee's report  cites  the  case  of  one  man  who  spent 
an  entire  forenoon  listening  to  solicitors  from 
ten  different  institutions.  It  was  impossible 
for  him  to  see  three  more  who  subsequently 
called,  though  he  later  learned  that  they  rep- 
resented the  three  institutions  in  which  he  was 
most  interested. 

An  investigation  of  the  budgets  and  sub- 
scription lists  of  sixty-one  charitable  institu- 
tions in  1907  proved  to  the  committee  that  the 
people  of  Cleveland  were  not  supporting  char- 
ities, but  that  on  the  contrary  the  philanthropic 
work  of  the  city  was  being  financed  by  less  than 
six  thousand  contributors  in  a  population  of 


THE  CLE^^LAXD  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       151 

over  half  a  million.  It  is  significant  that  thir- 
teen people  gave  one-third  of  all  the  money  so 
contributed.  The  facts  in  regard  to  the  num- 
ber of  contributors  were  startling  even  to  those 
who  had  made  a  special  study  of  charitable 
work  in  Cleveland.  It  is  reasonable,  however, 
to  suppose  that  a  similar  situation  would  be 
discovered  in  nearly  every  city  if  such  a  can- 
vass could  be  made. 

The  Committee  on  Benevolent  Associations  Federation 

Plan 

tentatively  suggested  as  a  remedy  the  plan  of  suggested 
federating  the  charities,  that  is  to  say,  their  col- 
lection and  distribution  through  a  central 
board.  The  suggestion  met  with  favor,  but, 
before  a  publicity  campaign  could  be  started, 
a  financial  and  industrial  depression  delayed 
the  undertaking.  It  was  determined  that  the 
advent  of  such  an  organization  should  be  left 
to  the  time  when  the  relative  financial  needs 
and  resources  should  have  regained  their  stabil- 
ity. In  1909  the  committee  secured  new  sta- 
tistics from  charitable  institutions,  which  served 
only  to  emphasize  the  former  findings.  An 
added  objection  to  the  existing  system  of  char- 
ities was  that  in  practically  all  cases  the  ex- 
pense of  solicitation  was  materially  increasing. 


152      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

The  cost  of  collecting  the  amount  annually  re- 
quired from  the  public  was  placed  at  $70,000, 
about  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  collected.  In 
one  instance  a  solicitor's  commission  was  33% 
per  cent. 

On  January  7,  1913,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce gave  its  sanction  to  a  federation  board 
in  accordance  with  plans  submitted  by  the 
Committee  on  Benevolent  Associations.  After 
a  thorough  consideration  of  candidates,  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Williams,  secretary  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  Oberlin  College,  was  offered  the  posi- 
Pederation    tion  as  Organizer  of  the  Federation,  a  post 

Organized 

which  he  accepted,  and  as  fully  constituted  the 
Cleveland  Federation  for  Charity  and  Philan- 
thropy began  active  operations  on  March  first 
following.  Its  policies  are  in  the  hands  of 
thirty  trustees  chosen  equally  by  the  organiza- 
tions belonging  to  the  Federation,  the  contrib- 
uting patrons,  and  the  Cleveland  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  Any  philanthropic  association  is 
eligible  to  participate  in  the  Federation,  pro- 
viding it  makes  a  legitimate  appeal  for  funds 
without  restriction  to  religious  or  other  special 
affiliations.  On  behalf  of  the  constituent  or- 
ganizations  the   Federation   makes   a   co-or- 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       153  :4^ 

dinated  appeal,  stating  the  needs  of  each  and  ^ 
giving  the  contributor  an  opportunity  to  des- 
ignate his  beneficiaries  or  to  place  his  gift  for 
distribution  at  the  discretion  of  the  Federation 
Board.  Persons  contributing  are  freed  from 
any  further  solicitations  for  current  expenses 
of  any  organization  in  the  Federation.  The 
Cleveland  Federation  for  Charity  and  Philan- 
thropy has  been  called  "the  greatest  step  in 
municipal  history."  The  definite  results  of 
this  plan  which  unites  over  fifty  charitable  or- 
ganizations include  an  increase  in  the  amount  of 
gifts,  a  minimum  cost  of  collection  and  opera- 
tion, and  a  general  awakening  of  philanthropic 
interest  on  the  part  of  large  numbers  of  citi- 
zens. In  the  fiscal  year  October  1913-Oc- 
tober  1914  the  Federation  distributed  about 
$300,000.' 

9  See  also:  (1)  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Benevolent 
Associations  on  the  Federation  of  Contributions  for  the 
Charities  of  Cleveland,  11  pages.  Cleveland  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  January  26,  1909.  (2)  The  Cleveland  Federation 
for  Charity  and  Philanthropy  «w  Proposed  by  the  Committee 
on  Benevolent  Associations  of  th&  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Com' 
merce.  32  pages.  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Janu- 
ary 7,  1913.  (3)  The  Cleveland  Federation  for  Charity  and 
Philanthropy.  Comments  by  Chairman  Marks  on  the  Report 
of  the  Committee  on  Benevolent  Associations  of  the  Cleve- 
land Chamber  of  Commerce.  11  pages.  Cleveland  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  January  7,  1913.     (4)  "Chamber  of  Commerce 


154      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 
INVESTIGATION   OF   COAL  THEFTS 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  appointed  a  spe- 
cial committee  in  1909  to  investigate  the  steal- 
ing of  coal  from  cars  standing  on  the  tracks 
and  at  transfer  points  in  or  near  Cleveland. 
Although  dealing  with  a  subject  of  minor  im- 
portance compared  with  others  which  have 
come  before  the  Chamber,  the  report  of  this 
committee  is  interesting  and  it  is  also  illus- 
trative of  the  attention  that  the  Chamber  de- 
votes to  all  matters  affecting  the  public  wel- 
fare. 

To  accomplish  their  purpose  the  members  of 
the  committee  conferred  with  the  municipal 
authorities,  railway  officials,  coal  dealers,  and 
manufacturers,  and  also  visited  the  principal 
localities  where  coal  was  being  stolen,  in  order 
to  see  the  stealing  going  on.  The  annual  loss 
to  the  city  from  this  source  was  conservatively 
estimated  to  be  $90,000.  A  force  of  twenty- 
four  men  was  employed  by  the  local  coal  deal- 
ers to  patrol  the  tracks  and  transfer  points  of 
the  various  railroads  for  the  period  of  one  whole 

to    Federate    Charities,"     Charities,    1909.    Vol.    XXI,    page 
557-8.     (5)  National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  II,  page  356. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       155 

day,  and  the  report  of  these  men  was  then  sub- 
mitted to  the  special  committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  together  with  deductions  from 
their  findings.  On  all  lines  carrying  coal  into 
the  Cleveland  market  coal  stealing  was  found 
to  be  general,  the  amount  stolen  depending 
upon  the  accessibility  of  the  coal  and  the  class 
of  people  living  along  the  right  of  way.  In 
cases  where  the  cars  had  been  left  standing  un- 
protected at  transfer  points  for  several  hours 
during  times  of  railway  congestion,  coal  losses 
as  high  as  7,000  pounds  per  car  were  recorded. 
A  detailed  statement  from  one  manufacturer 
showed  that  during  eight  months  in  1907  his 
losses  were  583  tons.  The  committee  learned 
that  practically  none  of  the  stealing  was  being 
done  by  organized  gangs  of  men,  but  that  about 
ninety  per  cent,  of  it  was  due  to  the  persistent 
work  of  women  and  children,  mostly  for- 
eigners. 

"The  usual  method  of  procedure,"  reads  the 
committee's  report,  "is  for  the  children  to  climb  Report  of 
upon  the  cars  and  throw  off  the  lumps,  which  committee 
are  gathered  up  by  the  women  and  carried 
away.     Very  often  the  children  climb  upon  the 
through  trains  and  throw  off  coal  as  the  cars 


156       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

pass  near  their  homes.  Many  instances  have 
been  reported  of  the  smaller  children  being  held 
up  at  arm's  length  by  the  women  in  order  that 
they  may  dislodge  the  coal  within  reach.  All 
assist  in  carrying  it  away,  the  children  often 
carrying  burdens  far  beyond  their  strength. 

**A  large  proportion  of  these  people  are  not 
in  actual  need  of  coal;  the  men  are  usually 
working  and  the  stealing  of  coal  with  them  is 
merely  a  matter  of  thrift.  .  .  .  Where  cases 
were  investigated  it  was  found  that  the  families 
had  from  one  to  three  tons  of  coal  in  their  coal 
bins."  ^^ 

The  report  further  states  that,  although  in 
European  countries,  where  these  families  orig- 
inated, it  is  a  serious  offense  to  trespass  on  rail- 
road property  and  everjiihing  of  value  is  kept 
within  fenced  inclosures  and  properly  guarded, 
over  here  they  are  given  to  understand  that  this 
is  a  free  country.  These  immigrants  see  cars 
of  coal,  pig  iron,  and  other  valuables  left  un- 
protected and  they  are  allowed  to  trespass  on 
the  tracks  at  will.  The  bad  moral  and  physical 
effects  upon  the  people  themselves  are  not  the 
least  important  considerations.     The  report  of 

10  Report  of  the  Special  Committee  on  Coal  Stealing:  Ap- 
proved by  the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce,  March  23, 
1909.     Page  5. 

See  also  The  World's  Work,  1909,  Vol.  XVIII,  pages  11655-6. 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       157 

the  special  committee,  made  as  a  result  of  the 
investigation,  concludes  with  the  suggestions 
that  the  transfer  points  be  adequately  fenced 
and  policed,  and  that  probation  officers  be  em- 
ployed to  investigate  cases  of  coal  stealing  and 
to  see  that  persistent  offenders  are  appropri- 
ately punished. 

In  December  1909  one  probation  officer  was  Results  of 

,.   .        .  rt    ,       Investiga- 

appomted  and,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  tion 
Chamber's  committee,  an  appropriation  was 
made  by  the  Council  for  his  salary.  This  offi- 
cial carefully  investigated  all  cases  of  reported 
theft,  warned  those  persons  who  were  sus- 
pected, and  impressed  them  with  the  fact  that 
punishment  will  follow  coal  stealing.  The  ■ 
Chamber  states  that  this  nuisance  has  gradually 
been  abated. 

Cleveland's  civic  center 

In  1899  a  special  committee  of  the  Cleveland 
Chamber  submitted  a  report  on  a  plan  for 
erecting  new  public  buildings  in  the  center  of 
the  city  to  replace  the  antiquated  structures 
then  existing.  The  idea  received  immediate 
and  vigorous  support  from  the  Cleveland 
Chamber  of  Commerce  which  perceived  its 


158      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Group  Plan 
Committee 


Board  of 
Supervision 


great  value ;  and  this  special  committee,  known 
at  first  as  the  Group  Plan  Committee,  was  em- 
powered to  further  the  project.  During  the 
years  1899-1901  this  committee  devoted  its  ef- 
forts to  stimulating  public  sentiment  and  was 
remarkably  successful.  The  members  of  the 
Group  Plan  Committee  favored  the  idea  of  re- 
placing the  four  principal  public  buildings, 
namely  the  City  Hall,  Federal  Building, 
County  Building,  and  Public  Library.  Later 
it  was  found  practicable  to  include  plans  for  a 
new  union  railway  station. 

In  1902  the  committee  continued  its  efforts 
by  securing  the  passage  by  the  State  Legisla- 
ture of  a  law  enabling  Ohio  cities  to  create 
supervising  boards  of  architects.  This  re- 
sulted in  the  appointment  of  the  Cleveland 
Board  of  Supervision,  having  general  powers 
of  selection  of  site  and  plan  for  public 
buildings  erected  within  the  city  of  Cleveland. 
This  commission,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Daniel 
H.  Burnham  of  Chicago,  Arnold  W.  Brunner, 
and  John  M.  Carrere,^^  made  a  careful  study  of 

11  Mr.  Frank  B.  Meade,  a  Cleveland  architect,  was  ap- 
pointed in  1911  to  the  vacancy  in  the  Board  of  Supervising 
Architects  created  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Carrere,  and  Mr. 
Frederick  Law  Olmsted  has  since  been  appointed  to  fill  the 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       159 

the  problem  and  in  1903  proposed  two  alterna- 
tive plans  for  grouping  the  public  buildings. 
The  one  they  particularly  recommended  met 
with  general  approval,  and,  although  there  was 
no  one  body  that  could  formally  adopt  it,  the 
plan  has  been  followed  by  the  authorities  in  the 
construction  of  the  Federal  Building  and  the 
County  Building,  both  of  which  are  now  in  use, 
and  the  City  Hall  now  being  constructed/^ 
The  voters  of  the  city  have  authorized  the  issu- 
ance of  bonds  to  erect  the  Public  Library. 
This  plan  groups  these  buildings  and  the  Union 
Station  in  the  form  of  a  Roman  cross,  leaving 
a  broad  expanse  of  parking  about  the  buildings 
included  in  the  group.  These  structures  are 
later  to  be  connected  by  a  Mall,  600  feet  wide, 
which  will  also  extend  from  the  center  of  the 
business  district  to  a  park  on  the  waterfront. 
A  considerable  portion  of  the  land  required  for 

vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Burnham — Letter  of  Sec- 
retary Munson  Havens,  January  31,  1914. 

12  See  the  interesting  report  of  the  Special  Committee  on 
Material  for  the  County  Building.  Adopted,  Cleveland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  February  12,  1907.     19  pages. 

Also  report  of  Committee  on  Municipal  Art  and  Architec- 
ture, including  the  Report  of  the  Sub-committee  of  Engineers. 
Concerning  the  Building  of  a  Power  Plant  in  Connection  with 
the  County  Building.  Adopted,  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, March  23,  1909. 


160      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

the  Mall  has  already  been  taken  over  by  the 
city,  including  the  site  upon  which  the  Public 
Library  will  be  erected.  To  prevent  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  not  in  harmony  with  the  group 
the  city  has  restricted  the  property  fronting  on 
the  Mall. 

The  committee  that  has  rendered  admirable 
service  to  the  city  and  to  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce in  its  successful  campaign  for  the  Civic 
Center  was  originally  known  as  the  Group 
Plan  Committee,  as  stated  above.  In  1908  the 
scope  of  this  committee  was  broadened  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  to  include  supervision 
of  the  construction  of  public  works.  It  was 
then  re-named  the  Committee  on  Municipal 
Art  and  Architecture.  To  make  it  broadly 
representative  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
1911  asked  the  Cleveland  Chapter  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Architects,  the  Cleveland 
Architectural  Club,  and  the  Cleveland  En- 
gineering Society  to  name  for  appointment  on 
this  committee  members  of  their  societies  who 
were  also  members  of  the  Chamber,  Succeed- 
ing municipal  administrations  have  recognized 
the  committee  as  a  quasi-official  public  body  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  has  become  customary  for 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       161 

the  city  to  submit  to  the  committee  for  ap- 
proval the  plans  of  proposed  public  works. 

The  expenditure  by  Federal,  county,  and 
city  governments  and  by  the  railroad  compan-  Cost  of 
ies  for  Cleveland's  Civic  Center  will  aggregate  center 
$25,000,000. 

Cleveland's  new  city  charter 

The  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  al- 
ways been  actively  interested  in  municipal  gov- 
ernment. On  October  12, 1912,  the  board  of  di- 
rectors requested  the  Committee  on  Legislation  committee 
to  consider  the  various  questions  involved  in  the  Legislation 
proposed  new  charter  for  the  city.  The  com- 
mittee immediately  undertook  a  study  of  the 
important  provisions  to  be  embodied  in  a  new 
city  charter,  made  an  exhaustive  analysis  of 
other  city  charters,  and  studied  the  published 
works  on  municipal  government.  It  also  en- 
deavored to  keep  in  touch  as  closely  as  possible 
with  the  deliberations  of  the  charter  commis- 
sion. Charters  of  cities  operating  under  the 
commission  plan  were  considered,  but  it  soon 
became  evident  that  the  so-called  federal  plan 
would  be  adopted  by  the  charter  commission. 
The  committee  also  endorsed  this  plan  believing 


162      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

it  better  suited  to  Cleveland  in  view  of  the  con- 
dition prevailing  in  the  community. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Legislation, 
entitled  ^'Proposals  for  the  City  Charter,"  was 
adopted  by  the  board  of  directors  April  4, 1913, 
and  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  careful  com- 
mittee work  done  by  members  of  the  Cleveland 
Chamber.  In  a  general  way,  according  to 
Secretary  Munson  Havens, ^^  the  report  was 
helpful  to  the  subsequent  passage  of  the  bill, 
although  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
charter  would  have  passed  the  electorate  with- 
out any  action  by  the  Chamber.  The  com- 
mittee argued  out  certain  minor  differences 
with  the  charter  commission  with  considerable 
success.  The  report  was  used  mainly  to  in- 
form the  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce regarding  the  proposed  legislation  and 
in  that  respect  was  of  great  value. 

Cleveland's  new  charter  provides  for  a  form 
Cleveland's    of  government  modelled  in  general  upon  the 

New 

Giiarter         national  government.     The  legislative  branch 

13  Letter  of  Secretary  Munson  Havens,  January  31,  1914. 

See  also:  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Legislation  of  the 
Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce,  February  31,  1906,  relative 
to  House  Bill  173,  etc.,  20  pages,  at  page  4  "The  Federal 
Plan  of  Government." 


THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE       163 

is  the  city  council,  with  one  councihnan  from 
each  of  the  twenty-six  wards.  The  voter  at 
each  biennial  election  receives  a  short  ballot 
showing  only  the  candidates  for  mayor  and  for 
councilman  from  his  ward,  all  without  partisan 
designation;  and  he  may  vote  for  a  first 
choice,  a  second  choice,  and  any  number  of 
third  choices  on  the  preferential  system  of  vot- 
ing. All  nominations  are  made  by  petition 
and  no  primaries  or  party  conventions  are  held. 
There  are  six  administrative  departments, 
whose  heads  are  appointees  of  the  mayor,  as 
follows :  law,  public  service,  public  safety,  pub- 
lic utihties,  public  welfare,  and  finance.  The 
department  heads  and  their  secretaries  are  ex- 
empt from  civil  service  examinations,  and  they 
are  the  only  officials  so  exempt.  The  charter 
provides  for  the  recall,  and  for  the  initiative 
and  referendum  on  city  ordinances.  Among 
its  interesting  and  unusual  features  is  the  pro- 
vision for  "excess  condemnation"  by  virtue  of 
which  the  city  may  appropriate  more  property 
than  is  required  for  a  public  project,  and  sell 
the  excess, — with  restrictions  as  to  its  use,  if 
desirable, — thus  possibly  defraying  some  of  the 


164.      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

cost  of  the  work  by  the  increment  resulting 
from  the  improvement. 


Industrial 
Develop- 
ment Com- 
mittee 


INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT 

Cleveland's  industrial  development  is  di- 
rected by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  through 
the  latter's  Industrial  Development  Commit- 
tee. According  to  a  recent  report,  the  most 
promising  efforts  for  industrial  expansion 
in  Cleveland  are  those  which  aim  at  the  fullest 
development  of  industries  already  established 
there.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  if 
every  small  industry  now  located  in  Cleveland 
could  reach  its  highest  possibilities  there  would 
be  no  need  for  new  factories. 

While  rendering  its  greatest  service  to  home 
industries  the  Chamber  aims  to  encourage  new 
enterprises.  To  this  end  it  classifies  the  needs 
and  resources  of  the  city.  Its  records  include 
traffic  and  transportation  data,  freight  records, 
and  cost  figures  on  sites  and  materials.  With 
the  help  of  these  statistics  the  manufacturer 
who  contemplates  moving  his  plant  to  Cleve- 
land is  able  f o  analyze  local  conditions  affect- 
ing his  project. 

Cleveland  firmly  refuses  to  offer  bonuses,  re- 


/ 

i 

THE  CLEVELAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE      165 

mission  of  taxes,  or  other  artificial  inducements 
in  order  to  obtain  new  factories. 

"As  a  general  rule,"  states  the  1911  Direc- 
tors' Report,  "Cleveland  does  not  want  indus- 
trial projects  which  cannot  make  good  in  Cleve- 
land without  such  aid."  ^^ 

The  Cleveland  Chamber,  as  a  result  of  a  com- 
mittee investigation  in  1913,  decided  not  to 
adopt  a  credit  plan  for  financing  industries 
similar  to  that  employed  by  the  Boston  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  described  on  page  236. 
In  the  judgment  of  the  committee,  the  financial 
problem  of  the  majority  of  manufacturers  is 
not  to  be  solved  by  credit;  invested  capital  is 
needed. 

More  recently  the  Chamber  has  approved  a 
plan  for  an  investment  company  with  an  initial  investment 

Company 

capital  of  not  less  than  $500,000  to  finance 
Cleveland  industries, — although  no  definite 
time  has  been  set  for  the  inauguration  of  this 
enterprise.  The  plan  provides  for  the  issuing 
of  stock  to  the  citizens  generally,  with  the  full 
understanding  that  the  company  is  to  operate 
largely  in  industrial  securities  which  always  in- 

1*1911    Annual   Report,  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Page  145. 


166      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

volve  business  risks,  while  promising  business 
profits.  It  is  intended  that  the  directors  of 
the  company  shall  have  the  right  of  supervi- 
sion over  any  firm  applying  to  them  for  finan- 
cial assistance. 

The  conservative  attitude  of  the  Chamber  in 
relation  to  industrial  development  is  worthy  of 
the  highest  consideration  in  view  of  the  re- 
sults already  obtained.  The  Industrial  De- 
velopment Conmiittee  point  out  that  the  real 
test  of  their  work  will  be  the  results  ten  years 
hence.  They  are  now  laying  foundations  which 
should  withstand  this  test. 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM 
Many  phases  of  the  main  subject  have  now  Summary 

and 

been  described  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  Forecast 
that  the  logical  connection  between  the  various 
parts  is  in  need  of  clarification  at  this  point  in 
the  study.  It  will  be  remembered  that  we  first 
traced  commercial  bodies  from  their  origins 
through  the  early  period  of  their  history  in  the 
United  States  and  down  to  the  present  day. 
An  attempt  was  then  made  to  show  the  evolu- 
tion of  trade  bodies  into  civic  organizations 
whose  object  it  is  to  further  the  interests  of 
their  cities.  Next  we  studied  the  efforts  of 
these  organizations  to  secure  governmental 
recognition,  and  examined  their  structural  ma- 
chinery and  the  work  of  that  keystone  of  the 
whole  structure,  the  commercial  secretary.  In 
the  previous  chapter  the  Cleveland  Chamber 
of  Commerce  was  used  as  a  type  of  civic  or- 
ganization and  some  of  its  methods  and  activi- 
ties were  described  in  detail. 

169 


170      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Having  thus  briefly  reviewed  the  course  of 
the  work  up  to  this  point  it  will  be  equally  ad- 
visable to  forecast  the  development  of  the 
theme  in  the  remaining  chapters:  VIII,  City 
Government  Reform,  IX,  Co-operation  With 
Municipal  Authorities,  X,  Civic  Improvement, 
and  XI,  Competition  Between  Cities. 

The  present  chapiter  deals  with  the  efforts 
of  commercial  organizations  to  secure  efficient 
local  government/  In  the  majority  of  cases 
they  have  advocated  the  substitution  of  some 
form  of  commission  government  for  the  exist- 
ing system.  City  officials  holding  office  under 
the  latter  naturally  oppose  all  efforts  aimed  at 
their  elimination,  and  radical  reform  must  be 
accomplished  before  the  next  step,  co-opera- 
tion with  municipal  authorities,  is  possible. 
Vitally  important  to  civic  development  and  ex- 
pansion is  efficient  municipal  government,  in 
which  the  citizen  may  take  an  active  interest. 
Chapter  IX,  therefore,  shows  the  relation  of 
boards  of  trade  and  other  organizations  of 
citizens  to  municipal  authorities  in  several  well 
governed  cities. 
'  i  When  a  good  imderstanding  has  been  estab- 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  171 

lished  between  civic  organizations  and  local 
authorities,  and  also  when  both  the  authorities 
and  the  organizations  have  earned  the  confi- 
dence of  the  citizens,  the  results  of  this  harmony 
of  interests  are  manifested  in  civic  improve- 
ment as  outlined  in  Chapter  X.  When  once 
the  citizens  feel  it  in  their  power  to  control  con- 
ditions the  resultant  benefit  to  the  community 
is  extraordinary. 

Civic  reform,  co-operation,  and  improve- 
ment are  successive  steps  in  the  development 
of  the  city.  They  are  the  factors  that  deter- 
mine its  fate  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  the 
subject  treated  in  Chapter  XI.  If  a  city  is 
poorly  governed,  does  not  unite  the  citizens, 
or  is  neglectful  of  their  welfare,  it  will  not 
grow  as  fast  as  a  rival  city  where  better  civic 
conditions  obtain. 

In  June  1913  The  Nation's  Business,  the  offi- 
cial organ  of  the  United  States  Chamber  of  Municipal 
Commerce,  received  reports  from  the  commer- 
cial organizations  in  thirty-eight  states  regard- 
ing their  attitude  toward  municipal  better- 
ment. There  was  a  consensus  of  opinion  that 
the  business  interests  in  any  city  have  a  right 


172      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

to  expect  business  efficiency  in  municipal 
affairs.^  The  invasion  of  politics  by  the  com- 
mercial organizations  is  not  unwarranted.  It 
represents  the  organized  effort  of  public- 
spirited  citizens  to  remedy  existing  abuses. 
Moreover,  the  appHcation  of  sound  business 
principles  to  a  system  of  government  is  un- 
doubtedly the  best  means  by  which  to  accom- 
plish reform,  for  in  the  performance  of  many 
of  its  functions  a  municipality  must  meet  pre- 
cisely the  same  technical  problems  that  a  pri- 
vate enterprise  meets  in  the  discharge  of  similar 
functions.^  In  many  cities  the  campaign  for 
charter  amendments  or  for  administrative  re- 
forms has  originated  in  the  business  organiza- 
ci^«  tion.     Thus  the  Atlanta  Chamber  of  Com- 

Surrey 

merce  recently  employed  two  experts  from  the 
New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  to 
investigate  every  branch  of  the  city  govern- 
ment. The  reports  and  recommendations  sub- 
mitted by  these  experts  were  pubhshed  and  dis- 
tributed by  the  Chamber.^ 

1  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  13,  page  15. 

2  "Efficiency  Standards  in  Municipal  Management,"  by 
Jesse  D.  Burks,  Ph.D.,  Director,  Bureau  of  Municipal  Re- 
search, Philadelphia.  National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I, 
page  364. 

3  This  organization  has  also  brought  about  the  creation  of 


CITY  GOVERNMEXT  REFORM 


173 


A 


The  part  which  chambers  of  commerce  are 
probably  destined  to  play  in  the  scheme  of  po- 
litical evolution  has  thus  been  defined  by  Presi- 
dent Garfield  of  Williams  College: 

"If  I  may  so  express  it,  the  center  of  politi- 
cal gravity  is  gradually  settling  and,  if  it  passes 
from  our  legislative  bodies  to  the  electorate, 
there  must  be  found  a  workable  way  of  secur- 
ing dehberation  among  the  voters.  If  it 
should  come  about  that  the  only  place  for  free 
and  effective  deliberation  is  among  the  voters 
prior  to  election  day,  then,  plainly,  bodies  like 
the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Conmaerce  will  be- 
come normal  centers  for  the  consideration  of 
public  questions,  and  their  influence  will  be- 
come increasingly  important."  ^ 

the  Atlanta  Improvement  Conmiission,  including  citizens  and 
city  and  county  officials,  to  prepare  a  city  plan  for  Atlanta. 
See  the  National  Municipal  Bevieic,  Vol.  II,  page  349.  Also 
Special  Agents  Series — No.  79.  Commercial  Organizations  in 
Southern  and  Western  Cities.  By  Geo.  W.  Doonan.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  1914.  Page  10,  "Atlanta  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce." 

The  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  has  under- 
taken several  other  civic  surveys.  Among  them  may  be  cited 
the  one  made  at  Reading,  Pa.,  funds  for  which  were  supplied 
by  the  Reading  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Report  on  a  Survey  of  the  Municipal  Departments 
and  the  School  District.  Prepared  for  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  Reading  by  the  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal 
Research.     December  1913.     (8  pamphlets.) 

4  Letter  of  Dr.  Garfield  to  President  Johnson  of  the  Cleve- 
land Chamber  of  Commerce.  Page  217,  1913  Annual  Report 
of  the  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


Chambers 
of 

Commerce 
in  Political 
Evolntion 


7 


174      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


MUNICIPAL  GOVERNMENT  BY    COMMISSION 

Commercial  bodies  favor  commission  gov- 
ernment very  largely  because  it  can  be  made 
efficient  from  a  business  standpoint.  Its  advo- 
cates urge  for  the  commission  form  that  it  does 
away  with  the  secrecy  and  shifting  of  respon- 
sibility which  are  the  dismay  of  citizens  under 
other  forms  of  municipal  administration. 
Furthermore,  it  concentrates  public  attention 
upon  a  commission  composed  of  a  few  citizens. 
These  men,  generally  five  in  number,  hold  office 
and  conduct  the  work  of  their  several  depart- 
ments subject  always  to  the  control  of  popular 
opinion  and,  in  extreme  cases,  dismissal  by  vir- 
tue of  the  recall.  The  commission  plan  is  the 
most  signal  instance  of  an  American  govern- 
ment that  is  so  sensitive  that  it  dare  not  dis- 
obey the  public  will.  It  is  in  design  a  govern- 
ment which  is  completely  exposed  to  popular 
supervision.^ 

The  history  of  the  commission  plan  in  this 
country  dates  back  to  1870  when  it  was  tried 
in  several  southern  cities  and  proposed  for  New 

BChilds,  "Reform  via  Democracy,"  National  Municipal  Re- 
view, Vol.  I,  page  256. 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  175 

Orleans.^     The     Galveston     Flood     brought  commission 

•      1     /»    1  •     •  1  Plan  in 

about  the  recent  revival  oi  the  commission  plan,  Galveston 
and  the  success  of  the  Galveston  commission 
was  so  marked  as  to  give  the  experiment  an  un- 
usual amount  of  publicity.  Adding  to  the 
commission  idea  the  provisions  for  the  initia- 
tive, referendum,  and  recall,  the  people  of  Des 
Moines,  la.,  inaugurated  in  1908  a  new  type  of 
commission  government,  including  non-parti- 
san primaries.  This  plan  has  frequently  been 
used  as  a  model  by  other  cities. 

In  1913  a  committee  on  municipal  research 
was  appointed  by  the  directors  of  the  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.  This  ac- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  Association  followed  the 
adoption  of  a  new  municipal  charter  providing 
for  a  modified  form  of  commission  government. 
The  latter  went  into  effect  in  1914.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  committee  was  to  instruct  the  cit- 
izens in  the  details  of  the  new  charter  and  thus 
enable  them  to  take  an  active  and  critical  in- 
terest in  civic  affairs.  St.  Paul  is  now  gov- 
erned by  a  legislative  and  administrative  coun- 
cil of  seven,  including  the  mayor,  and  in  this 

6  The  Making   of  a   Town,  by   Frank  L.   McVey.     Chicago. 
A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.     1913.    Page  142. 


176      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

respect  has  followed  the  usual  lines  of  commis- 
sion charter  practice.     A  check  upon  the  work 
of  these  officials  has  been  supplied,  however,  in 
St.  Paul's      the  form  of  an  elective  comptroller  who  has  no 

Comptroller  .  i..  .  n,        .,,. 

part  m  the  administration  of  the  city  s  business 
except  in  connection  with  finances  and  the 
countersigning  of  documents  and  contracts. 
The  comptroller  is  also  the  civil  service  com- 
missioner and  publicity  officer;  his  main  func- 
tion is  to  supply  the  citizens  with  exact  in- 
formation concerning  the  management  of  the 
cityJ 

Commission  governments  have  been  created 
in  many  cities  of  moderate  size  as  a  result  of 
the  efforts  of  commercial  organizations.  In 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  which  claims  to  be  the  first 
city  in  the  East  to  adopt  the  commission  form, 
the  Board  of  Trade  was  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing about  its  adoption  in  1908.  Five  years  ago 
the  Commercial  Club  of  Topeka,  Kans.,  was 
responsible  for  the  installation  of  the  commis- 
sion plan.  In  September  1913  following  its 
recommendation  by  a  committee  of  the  local 

7  "St.  Paul's  Comptroller:  An  Interesting  Experiment,"  by 
J.  W.   Bennett.    National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.   II,  page 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  177 

Board  of  Trade,  commission  govermnent  went 
into  effect  in  Nashville,  Tenn.® 

THE   CITY   MANAGER   PLAN 

What  President  McVey  of  the  University  of 
North  Dakota  terms  "the  egotism  of  the 
democracy"  ^  is  responsible  for  a  weakness  in 
the  commission  form  of  government.  In  this 
country  it  is  too  often  taken  for  granted  that 
any  business  man  of  ordinary  talents  will  make 
a  good  governing  officer.  The  human  factor 
in  the  commission  plan  is  no  less  important 
than  it  is  in  any  other  system  of  government. 
We  have  yet  to  learn  that  municipal  govern- 
ment should  be  conducted  by  experts. 

In  German  cities  the  governments,  admitted  German 

Municipal 

to  be  the  most  successful  in  the  world,  are  di-  Government 
rected  by  an  administrative  board  known  as  the 
Magistrat,  Its  presiding  officer  and  formal 
head  is  the  Bilr germeister,  a  trained  executive 
with  general  supervisory  jurisdiction  over  the 
city  government.     His  profession  is  one  of 

8  "Commercial  Organizations  in  Social  Welfare,"  edit. 
The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  12,  pages  13,  16.  Under 
the  heads,  "Charities,"  "Better  Homes,"  "Recreation,"  "Labor 
Matters,"  "Municipal,"  and  "General  Service,"  are  cited  many 
instances  of  civic  reforms  accomplished  by  commercial  bodies. 

9McVey,  op.  cit.,  page  144. 


178      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

great  opportunity  and  honor.  A  Burger- 
meister  who  succeeds  brilliantly  in  the  admin- 
istration of  a  small  city  is  called  to  more  im- 
portant work  elsewhere. 

Munro,  contrasting  this  German  official  with 
the  American  mayor  who  generally  has  had 
little  or  no  executive  training,  says : 

"  The  Bilr germeister  is  an  expert,  a  profes- 
sional administrator,  who  looks  upon  his  office 
as  a  career,  who  seeks  the  post  on  his  public 
record,  and  who  expects  promotion  upon  this 
alone."  ^^ 

In  1911  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Lockport, 
The  N.  Y.,  seeinff  the  advantage  of  the  German 

"Lockport       .  °  .       ° 

Plan"  idea,  drew  up  a  tentative  charter  for  Lock- 

port  and  petitioned  the  State  Legislature  for 
its  ratification  and  adoption.  The  charter 
provided  for  a  commission  of  five  to  be  paid 
nominal  salaries  and  to  handle  all  administra- 
tive work  through  an  appointive  city  manager, 
who  in  turn  would  appoint  and  control  the 
whole  administrative  staff.  Unfortunately 
political  influences  at  Albany  overcame  the 
efforts  of  the  Board  of  Trade  to  secure  this 

low.  B.  Munro,  The  Oovernment  of  Europecm  Cities, 
Chapter  II.    "The  Government  of  Prussian  Cities." 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  179 

new  form  of  efficient,  non-partisan  govern- 
ment and  the  bill  was  defeated  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

The  Board  of  Trade  became  interested  in  the 
city  manager  modification  of  the  commission 
form  of  government  because  it  seemed  a  feasi- 
ble and  practical  plan  to  secure  good  govern- 
ment for  a  community  that  had  long  been  at 
the  mercy  of  corrupt  politics.  In  their  ef- 
forts to  eliminate  the  possibility  of  muncipal 
reform  in  Lockport,  local  politicians  three 
years  ago  organized  a  rival  commercial  organ- 
ization for  the  purpose  of  putting  the  Board 
of  Trade  out  of  existence.  According  to 
President  W.  H.  Upson,  however,  "  the  Board 
of  Trade  still  maintains  its  original  position, 
favoring  commission  government  and  espe- 
cially the  city  manager  modification,"  and  will 
continue  the  fight  in  the  interests  of  good  gov- 
ernment.^^ 

11  Letter  of  President  W.  Harrison  Upson  of  the  Lock- 
port   Board  of  Trade,   February  2,  1914. 

At  the  1914  Session  of  the  New  York  State  Legislature 
there  was  passed  an  optional  city  government  law,  whereby 
any  city  of  the  second  or  third  class  may  adopt  any  one  of 
six  simplified  forms  specified  in  the  law.  One  of  these  forms 
is  the  city  manager  plan.  This  law  eliminated  the  necessity 
of  Lockport  going  again  to  the  Legislature  before  putting 
the  matter  to  a  vote  of  the  citizens.    At  a  general  election 


180      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Olean 

Charter 

Defeated 


Sumter 
rirst  with 
City  Man- 
ager 


In  1913  the  Olean  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
after  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  city  man- 
ager plan,  framed  a  charter  containing  its  es- 
sential features  and  obtained  about  1000  sig- 
natures petitioning  the  New  York  State  Leg- 
islature to  pass  the  Olean  Charter  Bill.  The 
Bill  was  duly  passed  and  signed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, April  20,  1914.  Previous  to  election 
day,  June  30,  following,  the  Chamber  con- 
ducted a  vigorous  campaign  to  inform  the 
Olean  voters  why  they  should  vote  for  the 
adoption  of  the  Charter.  Nevertheless  it  was 
rejected  by  a  vote  of  1059  for,  and  1312 
against.  A  recent  letter  from  Secretary  Gibbs 
of  the  Olean  Chamber  states  that  "the  old  line 
politicians,  the  Socialists,  an  Anti- Vaccination 
group,  and  a  number  of  disgruntled  ones  were 
responsible  for  the  defeat  of  the  charter."  ^^ 

The  first  city  in  America  to  adopt  the  city 
manager  plan  was  Sumter,  S.  C.  Here,  also, 
the  local  commercial  organization  initiated  the 
movement,  and  the  successful  installation 
of  the  new  form  of  government  was  due  largely 

held  in  November,  1914,  the  proposed  city  manager  charter 
was  narrowly  defeated. 

12  Letter  of  Secretary  Raymond  B.  Gibbs,  Olean  Chamber 
of  Commerce^  August  27,  1914. 


CITY  GOVERJ^MENT  REFORM  181 

to  the  efforts  of  the  Sumter  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. In  1912  a  special  act  of  the  South 
Carolina  Legislature  gave  the  people  of  Sum- 
ter their  choice  between  the  regular  commission 
form  of  government  and  the  new  city  manager 
plan.  The  former  provided  for  a  commission 
of  three  members  elected  at  large,  the  other  offi- 
cials being  appointive,  and  a  short  ballot.  In 
accordance  therewith  the  mayor  was  to  receive 
$1,200  a  year,  and  each  of  the  other  commis- 
sioners $1,000,  all  of  them  being  ex  ojficio  de- 
partment heads.  The  Sumter  city  manager 
plan,  also  presented  to  the  voters,  gave  the 
commissioners  only  nominal  salaries  and  left 
them  free  to  pursue  their  private  careers. 
They  were  to  be  authorized  to  employ  a  city 
manager  and  to  fix  his  duties  and  salary. 
During  the  brief  campaign  conducted  by  the  campaigrn 

by 

Chamber  of  Commerce  it  was  pointed  out  that  chamber  of 
the  city  manager  plan  involved  a  substantial 
salary  for  only  one  official,  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two  plans  in  commissioners'  salaries 
being  sufficient  to  give  a  city  manager  $2,500 
a  year.  Among  local  politicians  there  was 
some  objection  on  the  ground  that  the  impor- 
tant office  of  city  manager  would  be  likely  to 


/ 


182      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

go  to  a  non-resident ;  but  the  town  at  large  did 
not  consider  this  objection  serious,  and  on  June 
12,  1912,  voted  three  to  one  for  the  city  man- 
ager plan. 

The  most  important  task  before  the  Sumter 
commissioners  was  the  choice  of  a  city  manager. 
They  hesitated  to  advertise  for  fear  of  being 
inimdated  with  applications.  However,  the 
secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  offered 
to  take  charge  of  the  matter  and  it  was  duly 
placed  in  his  hands. 

The  following  excerpts  are  taken  from  the 
Press  An-      announcement  that  the  Chamber  handed  to  the 

nouncement    ,^  ^ 

Press  on  October  20,  1912: 

"The  City  of  Sumter  hereby  annoimces  that 
applications  will  be  received  from  now  until 
December  the  first  for  the  office  of  City  Man- 
ager of  Sumter.  .  .  .  This  is  a  rapidly  grow- 
ing manufacturing  city  of  10,000  population, 
and  the  applicant  should  be  competent  to  over- 
see public  works,  such  as  paving,  lighting, 
water  supply,  etc.  .  .  .  An  engineer  of  stand- 
ing and  ability  would  be  preferred.  .  .  .  The 
City  Manager  will  hold  office  as  long  as  he 
gives  satisfaction  to  the  commission.  He  will 
have  complete  administrative  control  of  the 
city,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board  of 
three  elected  commissioners.  .  ,.  .  There  will 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  18S 

be  no  politics  in  the  job ;  the  work  will  be  purely 
that  of  an  expert.  .  .  .  Local  citizenship  is  not 
necessary  although  a  knowledge  of  local  con- 
ditions and  traditions  will  ...  be  taken  into 
consideration.  .  .  .  At  the  request  of  the  City 
Commissioners  these  applications  will  be  filed 
with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Sumter."  ^^ 

The  newspapers  handled  this  announcement 
as  news  and  it  was  widely  printed  and  noticed. 
The  municipal  and  engineering  magazines  gave 
it  free  space  and  much  comment.  Applications 
poured  in  to  the  number  of  150.  Particularly 
significant  was  the  fact  that  applicants  saw 
in  the  office  a  fascinating  opportunity.  The 
candidates  included  a  number  of  men  of  con- 
siderable note.  The  successful  applicant  was 
Malcolm  McLean  Worthington,  a  young  civil  sumter^s 
engineer  who  had  specialized  in  railroad  con-  agers 
struction.  During  his  administration  he  con- 
centrated his  attention  upon  improvement  of 
the  public  works.  He  was  succeeded  in 
November  1913  by  Major  W.  F.  Robertson, 
the  present  manager.^* 

13  The  Sumter  ''City  Manager"  Plan  of  Municipal  Govern^ 
ment,  published  by  the  Chamber  of' Commerce  of  Sumter,  S.C^ 
February  1913;  reprinted  April  1913. 

14  Statement  from  E.  I.  Reardon,  Managing  Secretary, 
Sumter  Chamber  of  Commerce,  January  31,  1914. 


184      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

The  results  of  Major  Robertson's  first  year 
Kesuits  as  City  Manager  include  marked  improvement 
of  the  streets  and  drainage  system ;  the  increas- 
ing by  means  of  wells  of  an  inadequate  water 
supply  to  a  supply  "more  than  necessary  for 
the  present  and  adequate  for  several  years  to 
come" ;  and  more  efficiency  in  the  fire  and  street 
cleaning  departments. 

**One  of  the  best  features  of  the  City 
Manager  plan,"  writes  Major  Robertson, 
" — whether  greatly  economical  or  not — is  the 
improved  and  prompt  service  given  to  the  citi- 
zens. Their  municipal  needs  are  generally  an- 
ticipated and  when  they  request  or  complain, 
attention  is  effectively  and  promptly  given  by 
one  dependent  entirely  on  his  record  as  an  ef- 
ficient public  caretaker  of  municipal  inter- 
ests." '' 

The  success  of  Sumter's  innovation  has  been 
generally  conceded  and  already  several  other 
cities  have  put  into  effect  similar  plans.  The 
city  manager  plan  completely  unifies  the  ad- 
ministration and  makes  it  possible  to  have  a 
permanent  expert  in  charge  of  the  affairs  of 
the  city.     Since  the  manager  is  always  sub- 

15  Letter  of  August  36,  1914. 


CITY  GOVERJ^MENT  REFORM  185 

ject  to  the  control  of  the  commission,  there  is 
no  *'one  man  power." 

Dayton,  Ohio,  is  the  first  important  city  to 
have  adopted  the  city  manager  plan.     This  Dayton's 

,   .  City  Man- 

newest  form  of  mumcipal  government  went  ager  pian 

into  effect  there  on  January  first,  1914.  The 
Dayton  Chamber  of  Commerce,  since  consoli- 
dated with  other  bodies  in  the  Greater  Dayton 
Association,  was  largely  interested  in  the  move- 
ment. In  1912  the  Chamber  appointed  a  com- 
mittee of  five  to  study  the  question  of  commis- 
sion government.  Their  investigation  led  to 
the  forming  of  a  committee  of  one  hundred 
citizens  to  work  for  a  new  charter,  embodying 
the  city  manager  modification  of  the  commis- 
sion form.  The  "home  rule"  amendment  to 
the  Ohio  State  Constitution  which  became 
effective  November  1912  gave  Ohio  cities  the 
right  to  frame  their  own  charters  and  aided  the 
efforts  of  the  committee.     As  a  result  of  the  co-operation 

of  Chamber 

continued  activity  of  the  Chamber  of  Com-  with 

Research 

merce  and  the  Dayton  Bureau  of  Municipal  Bureau 
Research  a  publicity  campaign  was  started. 
The  phrase  "government  by  deficit"  was  used 
by  the  Bureau  to  characterize  the  existing 


186      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

municipal  administration.  Copies  of  the  pro- 
posed charter  were  widely  distributed  previous 
to  the  general  election  held  August  12,  1913. 
At  this  time  the  charter  was  adopted  by  a 
large  majority. ^^ 

The  Dayton  city  manager  plan  retains  the 
idea  of  a  commission  but  is  nevertheless  a  radi- 
cal advance  upon  the  commission  form  of  gov- 
ernment. Under  the  latter,  legislative  and 
executive  functions  are  in  thie  same  hands  and 
the  executive  responsibility  is  divided  among 
the  commissioners  in  charge  of  their  respective 
departments.  Dayton,  however,  puts  the  re- 
sponsibility of  administration  upon  one  man. 
Abuse  of  his  extraordinary  power  is  prevented 
by  provisions  for  the  initiative,  referendum, 
and  recall. ^^ 

Director  L.  D.  Upson  of  the  Dayton  Bureau 

Results         of   Municipal  Research,   reviewing  Dayton's 

first  five  months  under  City  Manager  Henry 

M.  Waite,  attributes  the  success  and  economy 

16  Proposed  Charter  of  the  City  of  Dayton:  Prepared  and 
Proposed  by  the  Charter  Commission.  64  pages.  Dayton, 
Ohio,  1913. 

17  Popular  recall  provision  is  adversely  criticised  in  the 
National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  Ill,  page  95.  "Defects  in 
the  Dayton  Charter." 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  187 

of  the  administration  to  the  centralizing  in  one 
individual  of  authority  and  responsibility  for 
the  efficient  conducting  of  all  departments  of 
the  city.  This  individual,  the  city  manager, 
in  turn  demands  that  his  department  heads 
produce  results,  or  make  way  for  men  who  can 
do  so.^® 

The  American  City  for  July  1914  contains 
Manager  Waite's  article:  "The  City  Manager 
Plan — The  Application  of  Business  Methods 
to  Municipal  Government."  In  addition  to 
outlining  his  policies  and  giving  a  history  of 
the  results  to  date.  Manager  Waite  takes  oc- 
casion to  commend  the  work  of  the  Dayton 
Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  and  the  co-op- 
eration of  the  Greater  Dayton  Association, 
comprising  7000  members  in  a  city  of  125,000. 

''It  may  very  well  be,"  comments  The 
World's  Worh,^^  "that  Dayton  has  taken  the 
step  forward  that  will  place  the  chief  adminis- 
trator of  a  big  city's  affairs  in  a  position  of 
such  security  and  dignity  that  municipal  gov- 

18  L.  D.  Upson,  "How  Dayton's  City  Manager  Plan  Is 
Working,"  American  Review  of  Reviews,  June  1914,  pages 
714-717. 

19  Editorial,  The  World's  Work,  Vol.  XXVI,  page  614.  Octo- 
ber  1913. 


188      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

eminent  may  become  a  field  for  the  best  busi- 
ness ability  and  the  most  statesmanlike  intelli- 
gence of  the  country. 

"Years  ago  when  the  recently  retired  Am- 
bassador Bryce  wrote  The  American  Com- 
monwealth, city  government  was  the  one  con- 
spicuous failure  which  he  had  to  chronicle. 
With  the  wide  spread  of  the  commission  form 
of  government  and  the  hopeful  experiments 
in  city  managers  the  present  would  afford  a 
much  brighter  picture." 

The  Ex- Ambassador  has  accorded  the  re- 
Bryce  on       cent  trend  in  municipal  government  due  notice. 

Commission  .  ^      ^t        -xt     ^    r^-       /^i    i    • 

Govern-        In  addrcssmg  the  New  York  City  Club  m  1911 
he  said: 

"Your  administration  is  becoming  more  and 
more  of  a  business  administration,  certainly 
in  this  city,  than  ever  before,  and  that  is  gen- 
erally true  of  cities  all  over  the  Union.  Every- 
where men  are  coming  to  see  the  importance  of 
fixing  responsibility  upon  definite  persons. 
That  is  the  meaning  of  the  tendency  to  adopt 
the  commission  form.  In  that  respect  your 
forms  of  government  are  far  better  over  the 
country  at  large  than  they  used  to  be.  ...  In 
all  the  largest  cities  where  I  have  been  honored 
by  being  the  guest  of  chambers  of  commerce 
and  civic  clubs  and  citizens'  associations,  I  have 
found  organizations  in  which  good  citizens  have 
banded    themselves    together,    supplementing 


ments 


CITY  GOVERNMENT  REFORM  1 89 

the  defects  of  their  local  municipal  government 
by  making  themselves  the  organs  of  an  alert 
and  enlightened  public  opinion,  stirring  up  the 
spirit  of  the  people  and  impelling  by  the  pres- 
sure of  opinion  the  municipal  authorities  to- 
ward the  improvements  that  are  needed."  ^^ 

20  Cited  in  National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page  18, 
January  1912. 

Recent  articles  on  commission  government  include  the  fol- 
lowing: Bradford:  "Financial  Results  Under  the  Commis- 
sion Form  of  Government,"  National  Municipal  Review,  Vol. 
I,  page  372;  Clay:  Chapter  XI  of  City  Building;  Dana, 
"Anti-toxin  for  Municipal  Waste,"  National  Municipal  Re- 
view, Vol.  I,  page  38;  Hawkins:  "Ideal  City  Government," 
Proceedings,  Fourth  Annual  Convention,  Central  Association 
of  Commercial  Secretaries,  page  5;  Thompson:  "The  Vital 
Points  in  Charter  Making  from  a  Socialist  Point  of  View," 
National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  II,  page  416;  Upson:  "The 
City  Manager  Plan  of  Government  for  Dayton,"  National 
Municipal  Review,  Vol.  II,  page  638. 

Also:  "New  Orleans  Largest  with  Commission  Govern- 
ment," Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  2,  page  4;  "The  Com- 
ing of  the  City  Manager  Plan,"  report  of  a  committee  of 
the  National  Municipal  League,  National  Municipal  Review, 
VoL  III,  page  44. 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  MUNICIPAL 
AUTHORITIES 


CHAPTER  IX 

CX)-OPERATION  WITH  MUNICIPAL 
AUTHORITIES 

The  report  of  a  special  committee  of  the  Na- 
tional Municipal  League  in  1911  on  the  com- 
mission form  of  government  does  not  accord  it 
unqualified  praise  and  characterizes  it  as  only  a 
"relative  success,"  that  is,  by  comparison  with 
other  existing  forms.  According  to  the  report 
the  citizens  in  commission-governed  cities  are 
satisfied  with  the  change,  feeling  that  they  are 
given  the  opportunity  to  be  more  effective 
pohtically  and  that  the  commission  form  is  one 
of  the  city's  chief  assets.^  It  is  conceded  that 
this  form  of  government  shows  a  marked  ad- 
vance in  respect  to  business  efficiency  and  the 

1  "City  Government  by  Commission:  a  Report,"  National 
Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page  40.  A  special  committee  con- 
sisting of  William  Bennett  Munro  of  Colimibia,  Dr.  Ernest 
S.  Bradford  of  Washington,  Clinton  Rogers  Woodruff  of 
Philadelphia,  Editor  of  the  National  Municipal  Review,  and 
Richard  S.  Childs,  Secretary  of  the  Short  Ballot  Association, 
presented  this  report  at  the  Seventeenth  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  National  Municipal  League,  Richmond,  Va.,  November 
13-16,  1911. 

193 


194.      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

centralization  of  responsibility.  Theoretically, 
also,  the  popular  rule  provisions,  the  initiative, 
referendum,  and  recall,  should  provide  the 
citizens  with  adequate  protection  against  cor- 
rupt and  incompetent  administration.  Never- 
theless in  practice  these  provisions  are  seldom 
utilized.^ 

One  objection  advanced  against  the  com- 
Criticism  mission  form  is  that  it  does  not  contain  pro- 
sion  Plan  visions  beneficial  to  citizens  who  are  disinclined 
to  use  the  facilities  offered  them,  namely,  the 
popular  rule  provisions.^  As  a  matter  of  fact 
this  criticism  is  by  no  means  fatal  to  the  case  for 
commission  government.  No  plan  can  be  de-. 
vised  to  compel  citizens  to  take  an  active  inter- 
est in  the  city  administration.  More  signifi- 
cant is  Mr.  Bruere's  suggestion  that  the 
growing  efficiency  of  city  administrations  un- 
der the  commission  plan  will  eventually  cut  off 
the  only  outlet  of  citizen  action,  by  making  the 

2  The  New  City  Government :  a  discussion  of  municipal 
administration  based  on  a  survey  of  ten  commission  governed 
cities,  by  Henry  Bruere,  Director  of  the  New  York  Bureau 
of  Municipal  Research.  New  York,  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  1912. 
438  pages,  8vo.    Reference  is  to  page  376. 

3  "A  Participating  Commission  Plan  of  Government: 
method  whereby  citizens  may  participate  in  municipal  govern- 
ment through  their  group  organizations,"  by  George  H.  Mur- 
doch.   The  Americcm  City,  Vol.  VI,  pages  471-476. 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         195 

use  of  the  popular  rule  provisions  unneces- 
sary.* 

Progress  in  society  is  the  result  of  bad,  rather  Progress, 

the 

than  good,  government  for  the  reason  that  in  Result  of 
case  of  the  former  the  citizens  are  roused  to  act  emment 
and  thus  perform  their  proper  function  in  the 
community.^  If,  then,  commission  govern- 
ment is  merely  efficient  and  requires  no  atten- 
tion from  the  citizens,  it  would  seem  to  be  in 
this  respect  undesirable.  It  is  most  important 
to  the  community  to  have  a  government  that 
can  be  made  an  internal  force  in  the  activities 
of  the  citizens. 

It  is  true  that  popular  opposition  to  corrupt 
government  produces  good  citizens  and  that  an 
efficient  administration  does  away  with  the  need 
of  reform,  thus  closing  this  avenue  of  citizen 
action.  But,  as  the  commercial  organizations 
in  this  country  have  demonstrated,  there  still 
remains  the  opportunity  as  well  as  the  need  for 
co-operation  with  the  municipal  authorities 
along  constructive  lines.  However  efficient 
and  systematic  the  city  administration  may  be, 
real  development  and  progress  depend  in  large 

*Bru^re,  The  New  City  Government,  page  377. 
5  Murdoch,  "A   Participating  Commission  Plan  of  Govern- 
ment," etc., — see  above. 


196      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

measure  upon  the  active  civic  interest  of  the 
citizens. 

Before  describing  the  work  of  boards  of 
oroup-Par-    trade  in  this  field  it  will  be  interesting  to  exam- 

ticipation        ,  i         />        << 

me  a  plan  for  group-participation"  in  com- 
mission cities,  devised  by  Mr.  George  H.  Mur- 
doch ^and  entirely  applicable  to  commercial 
bodies,  though,  so  far  as  is  known,  not  yet  prac- 
tically applied.  He  advocates  the  passing  of  a 
statute  by  which  in  any  commission-governed 
city  a  civic  or  commercial  organization  by  fil- 
ing a  certificate  of  certain  qualifications  shall 
become  a  semi-official  body.  Among  these 
quaUfications  are  :  (1)  that  the  organization 
states  in  its  constitution  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  founded;  (2)  that  the  government  of  the 
organization  be  by  majority  and  meetings  made 
open  for  all;  and  (3)  that  the  initiative,  refer- 
endum, and  recall  shall  be  used  within  the  or- 
ganization. Mr.  Murdoch  suggests  the  fol- 
lowing privileges  which  a  duly  qualified  organi- 
zation would  enjoy:  (1)  the  resolutions  or 
positive  acts  of  the  organization,  whenever  it 
so  desires,  are  to  be  spread  upon  the  commission 

« Murdoch,  "A  Participating  Commission  Plan  of  Govern- 
ment," etc., — see  above. 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         197 

records;  (2)  the  body  may  call  upon  the  com- 
mission at  any  time  to  produce  records,  corre- 
spondence and  public  accounts;  and  (3)  the 
body  may  also  call  upon  the  commission  under 
reasonable  regulations  for  a  public  hearing. 
Finally  it  is  recommended  that  all  semi-official 
bodies  so  constituted  be  bound  under  law 
to  perform  certain  duties,  for  example  (1) 
serve  without  pay,  and  report  whenever  sub- 
jects are  referred  to  them  by  the  commission; 
and  (2)  send  delegates  to  advise  the  commis- 
sioners in  considering  momentous  matters. 
Under  a  participating  commission  plan  it  is 
urged  that  each  citizen  could  select  his  own 
field  of  public  influence,  and  that,  moreover, 
the  commissioners,  being  in  intimate  touch  with 
large  groups  of  individuals,  could  thus  secure  a 
fair  expression  of  public  opinion. 

CO-OPERATION   INVITED  BY   CITY   OFFICIALS 

To-day  it  is  practically  impossible  to  find  an 
efficient  municipal  administration  that  does  not 
invite  the  active  co-operation  of  the  citizens. 
This  is  true  of  cities  which  do  not  have  com- 
mission government  as  well  as  of  those  which 
have  adopted  the  commission  form.     Cham- 


198      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

bers  of  commerce  are  the  civic  bodies  which 
chiefly  make  such  co-operation  feasible.  The 
organized  sentiment  of  the  members  of  these 
associations  acts  as  a  guide  to  the  city  officials 
in  addition  to  supplying  an  effective  check  upon 
their  public  acts.  Accordingly  the  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce  through  its  committees 
on  municipal  and  metropolitan  affairs  and  on 
city  planning  is  placed  in  close  touch  with  the 
various  city  departments,  the  City  Council,  and 
the  Mayor.  From  time  to  time  these  commit- 
tees request  the  Chamber  to  make  specific 
recommendations  to  the  city  officials.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  volunteers  suggestions 
or  criticisms  impartially  in  civic  affairs,  but 
above  all  things  evinces  a  desire  to  co-operate 
with  the  officials  whenever  it  can  be  of  assist- 
ance. 

The  value  of  the  civic  body  as  a  check  upon 

the  city  administration  is  emphasized  by  Dr. 

The  Civic      Clyde  L.  King  in  his  book,  The  History  of  the 

Body  as  a 

Check  Government  of  Denver  with  Special  Reference 

to  its  Relations  with  Public  Service  Corpora- 
tions, Denver,  1911.     He  says: 

**In  Denver's  own  history  the  real  check  has 
never  come  from  the  formal  institutions,  such 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         199 

as  the  council,  but  from  the  informal  institu- 
tions, the  chief  of  which  has  been,  and  is,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce."  ^ 

In  1912  the  Mayor  of  Denver,  seeing  the 
benefits  of  citizen  co-operation,  asked  every 
civic  or  commercial  body  in  the  city  to  name 
three  of  its  members  to  serve  on  a  City  Board 
of  Advisers.  The  Board  was  duly  constituted 
and  conferred  with  the  Mayor  several  times. 
Its  members  then  reported  back  to  their  re- 
spective organizations,  as  a  means  of  giving  the 
fullest  publicity  to  administrative  affairs.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Denver  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
however,  this  Board  "had  very  little  to  do  with 
forming  the  policy  of  the  city  government  un- 
der Mayor  Arnold."  ®  When  Denver  adopted 
the  commission  form  of  government  at  the  close 
of  his  administration  the  advisory  committee 
went  out  of  existence. 

Marking  an  innovation  in  municipal  govern-  The 

Mayor's 

ment.  Mayor  Brown  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  cabinet 
1910    established    a    council    known    as    the 
"Mayor's  cabinet."     As  first  constituted  it  was 

■7  King,  History  of  the  Government  of  Denver,  etc.,  page 
302. 

8  Letter  from  Asst.  Secretary  C.  M.  Kittredge,  Jr.,  Den- 
ver Chamber  of  Commerce,  December  12,  1913. 


200      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

composed  of  the  heads  of  the  various  city  de- 
partments, such  as  the  Public  Utihties  Com- 
mission, the  Board  of  Civil  Service,  and  the 
Board  of  Fire  and  Water  Commissioners.  At 
the  weekly  meetings  of  this  cabinet  each  mem- 
ber was  called  upon  to  offer  suggestions  re- 
garding not  only  his  department  but  also  every 
other  department  in  the  city  government. 
Matters  of  legislation,  municipal  service,  and 
public  improvements  were  referred  to  special 
committees  composed  of  members  of  the 
cabinet,  and  action  was  taken  in  accordance 
with  their  reports.  The  Mayor  in  this  way 
secured  information  and  advice  that  resulted  in 
many  improvements  in  the  municipal  service 
while  the  various  branches  of  the  city  govern- 
ment worked  in  complete  harmony. 

After  about  nine  months  of  cabinet  meetings 
it  occurred  to  the  Mayor  that  valuable  sugges- 
tions might  be  obtained  from  men  not  con- 
nected with  the  municipal  government  and  that, 
moreover,  citizens  engaged  in  the  civic  and  in- 
dustrial life  of  the  city  should  be  enabled  to 
present  their  complaints  and  criticism  through 
the  medium  of  their  respective  civic  and  com- 
mercial associations.     The  cabinet  was  accord- 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         201 

ingly  enlarged  to  include,  in  addition  to  the 
department  heads,  one  delegate  from  each  of 
these  bodies.  The  conferences  of  the  cabinet 
in  its  new  form  were  of  great  value  to  the  city. 
The  fact  that  representative  business  men  were 
enabled  to  come  into  direct  contact  with  munic- 
ipal department  heads  resulted  in  prompt  and 
intelligent  action. 

A  concrete  case  will  serve  to  show  the  value  instance 

of  Co-op- 

of  the  cabinet's  work.  On  one  occasion  a  eration 
manufacturer  reported  to  the  Kansas  City 
Commercial  Club  that  he  had  purchased 
ground  for  a  factory  about  400  feet  beyond  the 
city  limits  and  that,  although  his  factory  build- 
ing was  completed,  he  could  not  begin  opera- 
tions because  the  city  refused  to  extend  the 
city  water  main  to  his  factory  site  unless  he 
would  pay  for  the  extension.  Upon  investiga- 
tion the  Commercial  Club  found  that  the  loca- 
tion had  been  purchased  beyond  the  city  limits 
because  the  land  could  be  secured  at  a  reason- 
able figure  and  a  good  railroad  siding  was  ob- 
tainable,— two  conditions  essential  to  a  success- 
ful enterprise.  It  was  also  evident  that  the 
community  was  growing  in  the  direction  of  the 
factory-site  and  would  eventually  include  it. 


202       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

These  facts  were  presented  to  the  Mayor's 
cabinet  and,  the  majority  of  the  members 
agreeing  that  the  manufacturer's  request  was 
reasonable,  the  water  main  was  promptly  ex- 
tended by  the  city. 

Upon  the  termination  of  Mayor  Brown's 
Cabinet         period  of  officc  the  Mayor's  cabinet  was  discon- 

Discon-  •Till 

tinued  tmucd  and  under  the  next  administration  was 

replaced  by  ward  meetings.  The  cabinet  was 
not,  however,  without  its  permanent  benefit  to 
the  city. 

"We  have  learned,"  said  the  secretary  of 
the  Commercial  Club,  "that  there  are  more 
capable  men  holding  public  office  than  we 
thought,  and  they  have  found  out  that  the  voice 
of  a  well  organized  body  of  business  men  is  to 
be  respected.  .  .  .  We  have  discovered  many 
difficulties  that  confront  city  officials,  and  now 
know  .  .  .  that  they  need  friendly  encourage- 
ment .  .  .  from  the  men  who  pay  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  taxes."  ^ 

9  "Co-operation  of  Municipal  Authorities  with  Commercial 
Organizations,"  by  E.  M.  Clendening,  Secretary,  Commercial 
Club,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Address  delivered  at  the  Fourth 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  September  20  and  21,  1912. 
Reported  page  32  of  the  Proceedings  of  that  convention. 
See  further,  same,  page  61,  "Advisory  Boards  of  City  Gov- 
ernment." 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES        203 

THE   BOSTON    CHAMBER   OF   COMMERCE   AND 
THE    CITY   GARBAGE   CONTRACT 

In  many  cases  the  commercial  organizations 
themselves  have  taken  the  initiative  and  have 
offered  to  co-operate  with  the  city.  A  striking 
instance  of  this  is  furnished  by  the  work  of  the 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  the  matter  of 
the  city  garbage  contract.  Under  the  old  con- 
tract which  expired  the  first  of  January  1911, 
the  garbage  and  waste  collected  in  the  city  of 
Boston  was  removed  by  a  private  firm.  Previ- 
ous to  its  expiration  the  Commissioner  began  to 
draw  up  the  specifications  for  a  new  ten-year 
contract  and  he  also  advertised  for  bids.  The 
only  bid  received  was  from  the  contractor  the 
city  was  then  employing. 

At  this  point  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Committee  on  Municipal  and  Metropolitan 
Affairs,  which  had  been  working  on  the  matter, 
communicated  with  the  city  council  and  advised  campaign 
calling  for  new  bids.  This  suggestion  was  bIL  ^^ 
adopted  and  the  committee  was  authorized  to 
assist  the  Commissioner.  The  first  difficulty 
to  be  met  was  that,  under  the  laws  of  the  city 
of  Boston,  the  Commissioner  was  not  allowed  to 


204      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

advertise  for  bids  except  in  the  City  Record, 
the  official  weekly  publication.  Ordinarily  this 
paper  does  not  reach  engineers  and  business 
men,  a  fact  which  accounts  for  the  absence  of 
any  competitive  bids  for  the  garbage  contract. 
To  overcome  this  difficulty  the  Chamber's  com- 
mittee communicated  with  the  commercial 
bodies  in  all  large  cities,  asking  them  to  notify 
their  members  that  the  city  of  Boston  required 
estimates  for  garbage  disposal.  Further- 
more, one  member  of  the  committee  at  his  own 
expense  advertised  for  bids  in  several  engineer- 
ing magazines.  Seven  bids  were  received  as  a 
result  of  this  campaign  and  the  lowest  of  them 
was  materially  less  than  the  original  one. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  not  yet  satis- 
fied. The  bids  were  not  figured  uniformly 
and  it  was  impossible  to  tell  which  was  actually 
the  lowest.  In  the  face  of  much  opposition  the 
committee  urged  that  these  bids  also  be  re- 
>^ected  and  new  ones  secured  on  the  basis  of  a 
set  of  specifications.  The  city  finally  yielded 
the  point  and  permitted  the  Chamber  to  draft 
the  specifications  in  consultation  with  the  city 
engineer. 

When  the  new  bids  arrived  it  was  found  that 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         205 

the  lowest  was  $500,000  less  than  any  properly  largre 

Saving 

figured  bid  previously  received.  By  a  vote  of  Effected 
seven  to  two  the  city  council  approved  the 
awarding  of  the  contract  to  the  Boston  De- 
velopment and  Sanitary  Co.  whose  bid  was  the 
lowest  in  addition  to  being  the  one  recom- 
mended by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  This 
company's  process  of  garbage  reduction  is  the 
dry-heat  system  carried  on  under  vacuum; 
paper  and  rubbish  are  incinerated,  while  ashes 
and  street  sweepings  are  used  for  filling 
islands  or  swamps  along  the  water-front.^ 


10 


THE   HAMILTON   CHAMBER  OF   COMMERCE 

During  the  flood  disasters  of  1913  Hamil- 
ton, Ohio,  found  itself  deprived  of  its  munic- 
ipal officials  with  the  result  that  it  was  tem- 
porarily without  a  government.  In  this  emer- 
gency the  Chamber  of  Commerce  brought  into 
existence  a  provisional  government  that 
proved  fully  capable  of  handling  the  situation. 

10  "The  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Garbage 
Contract."  Letter  of  Herbert  J.  Kellaway  in  The  American 
City.  Vol.  VI,  pages  496-7  with  editorial  note.  See  also 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  News,  June  19,  1911,  and  October 
30,  1911,  for  further  information.  Also  F.  R.  Bangs,  "Saving 
the  City  Half  a  Million,"  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  News, 
Vol.  II,  no.  32,  page  4. 


206       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Instead  of  co-operating  with  the  city  officials, 
a  commercial  body  was  forced  in  this  instance 
to  take  their  place.  The  co-operative  spirit 
that  had  marked  the  previous  activity  of  this 
chamber  of  commerce  and  had  made  it  a  use- 
ful civic  organization  became  the  flooded  city's 
greatest  asset/^ 

The  Hamilton  Chamber  has  its  offices  in  the 
Rentschler  Building,  one  of  the  city's  large 
office  structures.  In  these  offices  there  were 
six  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Hamilton 
when  the  first  rush  of  water  came  on  March 
25,  and  there  they  remained  until  late  the  next 
afternoon,  when  the  flood  began  to  recede. 
Word  reached  them  that  the  Mayor  could  not 
be  located  and  that  the  police  chief  was  thought 
to  have  been  drowned.  At  this  report  Presi- 
Temporary    dent  Fitton  of  the   Chamber  of  Commerce 

Government         n    i  .    « 

called  an  miormal  meetmg  of  all  those  present 
in  the  building  and  a  temporary  government 
was  organized. 

The  first  efforts  of  this  body  were  directed 
toward  the  rescuing  and  protection  of  those  in 

11  "How  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Hamilton,  O.,  Met 
a  Great  Emergency,"  by  Leo  L.  Redding.  The  World's 
Work,  Vol.  XXVI,  pages  598-9,  September  1913. 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         20? 

danger.  The  Chamber's  vice-president,  for  the 
time  being  chief  of  the  commissary  depart- 
ment, communicated  with  the  Mayor  of  Cin- 
cinnati, using  the  only  wire  left  standing,  and 
in  less  than  four  hours  after  the  formation  of 
the  provisional  government  twenty-two  motor 
trucks  were  plowing  the  roads  between  the  two 
cities,  carrying  supplies  and  provisions.  Prom- 
inent members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
were  also  placed  in  charge  of  the  volunteer  po- 
lice force  and  the  morgue.  The  Chamber's 
treasurer  became  custodian  of  the  relief  fund, 
while  an  ex-president  of  the  organization,  to- 
gether with  one  of  its  directors,  assumed  the 
responsibility  for  re-establishing  the  city's  pub- 
lic works. 

When  provision  had  been  made  for  Hamil-  Restoration 
ton's  most  immediate  needs  the  temporary  Hamilton 
government  turned  over  control  of  the  city  to 
a  council  of  thirty  citizens,  headed  by  an  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  six,  and  the  whole  com- 
munity participated  in  the  work  of  restoring 
the  city.  As  a  result  of  the  flood  the  four  local 
bridges  were  piles  of  debris  and  the  railroads 
were  useless.     There  was  little  food  in  Hamil- 


208       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ton  and  no  gas,  electricity,  or  drinking  water. 
The  first  practical  work  was  the  temporary  re- 
pair of  three  of  the  wrecked  bridges.  The 
water  supply  and  the  lighting  system  were 
next  rendered  serviceable  and  finally  the  streets 
were  cleared. 

The  flood  came  on  March  25  and  by  April 
9  the  citizens  had  repaired  the  greater  part  of 
the  damage.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  mem- 
bers who  had  organized  the  provisional  govern- 
ment later  subscribed  to  a  guarantee  fund,  ex- 
tending credit  to  the  business  men  of  Hamil- 
ton, thus  enabling  them  to  get  a  new  start.  In 
order  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the  disaster, 
the  counties  along  the  Great  Miami  have 
formed  an  organization  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
tending a  dam  across  the  river  and  thus  bring- 
ing it  under  control. 

THE  CIVIC  FIELD  FOE  COMMERCIAL  BODIES 

A  notable  feature  of  the  new  co-operative 
spirit  manifested  by  citizens  through  the  me- 
dium of  voluntary  associations  is  their  attitude 
of  toleration  and  forbearance.  Thus  the 
Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce  avoids  prom- 
inence in  its  co-operative  undertakings,  recog- 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         209 

nizing  the  fact  that  "municipal  government 
carries  many  responsibihties  for  the  people 
and,  therefore,  must  be  permitted  and  encour- 
aged to  take  the  initiative."  ^^  Although  the 
city  government  involves  a  great  many  proc- 
esses of  importance,  popular  action  must  be 
limited  to  a  few. 

Without  forethought  a  commercial  body  limits  / 
may  find  itself  occupying  the  same  field  as  the  pieid 
municipal  authorities  and  attempting  civic  im- 
provements already  contemplated  by  the  city. 
There  must  accordingly  be  limits  to  the  civic 
work  of  boards  of  trade.  City  clubs  and  com- 
mercial organizations  are  the  two  main  di- 
visions under  which  the  majority  of  civic  bodies 
may  be  grouped.  To  a  certain  extent  the  ac- 
tivities of  these  two  classes  are  distinct.  The 
commercial  organization  is  concerned  pri- 
marily with  the  business  interests  and  cannot 
interfere  in  administrative  matters  as  easily 
as  can  the  city  club,  for  the  reason  that  the 
former  may  be  criticised,  though  unjustly,  for 
trying  to  control  the  city  authorities  for  its 
own  profit.  On  the  other  hand  the  greater 
financial  resources  of  the  commercial  bodies 

i2Brufere,  The  New  City  Government,  page  393. 


210      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

place  them  in  a  more  favorable  position  to  pro- 
mote civic  development/^  Moreover,  when 
the  opinions  of  experts  are  required  by  the 
city  officials,  individual  cases  must  determine 
the  organization  best  qualified  to  render  the 
services/^ 

To  avoid  a  clash  of  interests  there  should  be 
close  co-operation  between  city-plan  experts 
and  commercial  associations  working  to  pro- 
mote the  city.  City-planning  unquestionably 
enhances  the  value  of  property  and  causes  civic 
growth  which  directly  benefits  the  manufac- 
turers and  merchants.  Nevertheless,  where 
co-operation  is  neglected  we  may  expect  to  find 
conflicting  aims  and  a  lack  of  efficiency.  ^^ 

In  many  instances  the  efforts  of  chambers  of 

13  Thus  the  San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce  supports 
an  inspection  bureau  to  inform  citizens  and  taxpayers  how 
their  money  is  being  expended  in  municipal  improvements. 
See  Special  Agents  Series — No.  79.  Commercial  Organizou- 
tions  in  Southern  and  Western  Cities,  by  Geo.  W.  Doonan. 
Washington,  D.  C,  1914.  Page  22,  "San  Francisco  Chamber 
of  Commerce." 

14  "The  Relation  of  Civic  and  Commercial  Organizations  to 
Municipal  Government."  Address  delivered  before  the  Inter- 
national Municipal  Congress,  September  21,  1911,  by  Mayo 
Fesler,  Secretary  of  the  Municipal  Association  of  Cleveland. 
Reported  in  The  American  City,  Vol.  V,  pages  274—9. 

15  "Town  Promotion  and  City  Planning,"  by  Elmer  S. 
Batterson,  Associate  Editor  of  The  Dry  Goods  Reporter, 
The  American  City,  Vol.  IV,  page  119. 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  AUTHORITIES         211 

commerce  have  resulted  in  great  financial  sav-  Financial 

Support 

ing  to  their  cities.  It  has  been  suggested  that,  urged 
since  comparatively  few  citizens  assist  in  sup- 
porting commercial  organizations,  legislation 
should  be  passed  permitting  cities  or  communi- 
ties to  levy  a  tax,  the  proceeds  to  be  payable 
to  commercial  bodies  and  to  be  expended  by 
them  in  civic  improvements.^^  In  Colorado 
at  the  present  time  the  counties  collect  a  small 
tax  for  the  support  of  commercial  and  devel- 
opment organizations.  Secretary  Adolph 
Boldt  of  the  Houston  (Tex.)  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  citing  the  Chamber's  successful 
campaign  for  the  "front  foot  paving  plan," 
which  annually  saves  the  city  of  Houston  thou- 
sands of  dollars  by  charging  two-thirds  of  the 
cost  of  street  improvements  to  the  abutting 
property-owners,  urges  a  monthly  appropria- 
tion from  the  city's  revenues  for  the  support  of 
the  Houston  Chamber  of  Commerce. ^"^ 

16  Edit.  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  13,  page  2,  July 
15,  1913. 

17  "Ideal  Relations  Between  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  the  Municipal  Government,"  by  Adolph  Boldt,  Secretary 
of  the  Houston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Houston,  Tex. 
Article  prepared   for  the  author. 


>:: 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT 


CHAPTER  X 

CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT 

The  problems  presented  by  the  modern  city 
are  more  complex  than  ever  before.  Half  of 
the  people  in  the  United  States  live  in  cities. 
Congestion,  crime,  and  poverty  are  essentially 
city  evils.  Nevertheless,  the  commercial 
bodies  are  rapidly  improving  conditions  in  our 
large  municipalities.  This  phase  of  their  ac- 
tivity includes  city  planning,  housing  and  san- 
itary reform,  recommendations  for  public 
health  and  safety,  the  regulation  of  charities, 
and  the  support  of  park  and  playground 
movements.  Moreover,  campaigns  for  good 
roads  and  proposals  for  public  works  fre- 
quently originate  in  these  organizations. 

"The  chamber  of  conmierce  is  a  composite  The  Brains 
not  only  of  the  city's  wealth  but  of  its  intelli- 
gence." *     An  efficient  commercial  body  knows 
what  is  requisite  for  the  growth  of  the  city  and 

1  Ritchie,  "The  Modern  Chamber  of  Commerce,*'  National 
Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page  161. 

215 


216      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

for  the  well-being  of  the  citizens.  The  pro- 
gressive manufacturer  has  discovered  that  it  is 
not  enough  to  have  a  fine  equipment ;  unless  his 
employees  are  living  in  healthy  and  moral  sur- 
roundings he  cannot  expect  to  get  the  highest 
efficiency.  This  consideration  alone  often 
causes  factory-owners  to  change  the  location 
of  their  plants.  The  conditions  that  affect  the 
welfare  of  an  industrial  enterprise  are  equally 
important  in  the  case  of  a  community.  If  only 
to  maintain  its  population,  a  city  must  keep 
pace  with  modern  requirements. 

Constructive  work  by  boards  of  trade  is  in 
constrnc-  Itsclf  their  best  reward.  The  advantages  pos- 
sessed by  an  attractive,  healthy  city,  where 
good  housing  and  labor  conditions  prevail,  are 
too  apparent  to  need  demonstration.  The  sig- 
nal efforts  of  commercial  organizations, 
whether  aimed  at  selfish  ends  or  actuated  by 
true  civic  loyalty,  as  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
are  in  the  field  of  public  service. 

A  committee  is  the  board  of  trade's  most 
effective  instrument.  Thus  the  Commercial 
Club  of  Duluth  conducts  all  of  its  civic  work 
through  the  Public  Affairs  Committee.  The 
first  committee,  appointed  ten  years  ago,  con- 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  217 

sisted  of  forty  members.  At  the  present  time 
the  nmnber  is  150.  The  chairman  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Pubhc  Affairs  Committee  are  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  the  chairman  later  assigning  the  mem- 
bers to  sub-committees  which  deal  with  special 
subjects.  Detailed  work  is  carried  on  by 
these  smaller  bodies  and  reports  are  made  at 
monthly  meetings  of  the  Public  Affairs  Com- 
mittee. Questions  that  require  the  opinion  of 
the  large  committee  are  also  presented  in  the 
form  of  recommendations.  Ordinarily  the 
recommendations  are  accepted  without  objec- 
tion.^ 

COMMERCIAL   ORGANIZATIONS   AND    CITY 
PLANNING 

City  planning  is  a  phase  of  civic  improve- 
ment to  which  chambers  of  commerce  largely 
devote  their  efforts.  The  reasons  for  this  fact 
are  not  hard  to  find.  The  aims  of  the  city- 
plan  expert  are,  first,  to  make  a  city  an  attrac- 

2  "The  Public  Affairs  Committee,"  address  by  H.  V.  Eva, 
Secretary  of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Duluth,  Minn.,  at  the 
Fifth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Com- 
mercial Secretaries,  Omaha,  Nebraska,  September  22,  23,  and. 
24,  1913.  Reported  on  pages  21-22  of  the  Proceedings  of 
this  convention. 


218      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

tive  and  healthy  place  for  homes,  thus  giving 
it  advantages  which  cause  a  growth  in  popu- 
lation ;  and,  second,  to  provide  for  the  handling 
of  traffic  on  the  streets  and  at  the  stations  and 
wharves. 

Mr.  George  B.  Ford  ^  thinks  the  industrial 
need  for  the  planned  city  is  the  most  urgent 
and  that,  therefore,  chambers  of  commerce 
should  lead  in  this  work.  But,  illustrating  the 
close  co-ordination  between  beauty  and  utility 
in  city  planning,  he  says : 

"No  matter  how  good  the  industrial  features 
may  be,  unless  the  community  is  attractive  to 
labor,  a  sound  and  healthy  development  is 
hardly  probable." 

The  importance  which  city  planning  has  as- 
Recent  sumed  is  shown  by  the  recent  passage  of  a  law 
in  Massachusetts,  entitled:  "An  act  to  pro- 
vide for  the  establishment  of  local  planning 
boards  by  cities  and  towns."  The  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  carrying  out  its  educa- 
tional programme  in  New  England  outlined 
on  pages  242-250,  distributes  weekly  to  New 

3G.  B.  Ford,  member  of  the  city  planning  committee  of 
the  New  York  Merchants'  Association,  "Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  City  Planning,"  The  American  City,  Vol.  X,  no.  5, 
page  448,  May  1914. 


Legislation 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  219 

England  cities  index  cards  recording  new 
items  about  city  planning.  The  Board  of 
Trade  in  Salem,  Mass.,  and  the  New  Haven 
Chamber  of  Commerce  have  been  instrumental 
in  the  creation  of  city  plans  commissions  for 
their  respective  communities. 

An  effective  piece  of  publicity  as  well  ^s  a 
contribution  to  the  literature  of  city  planning 
is   the  volume,   Greater  Erie,   prepared   for  "Greater 

Erie*' 

the  city  planning  committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  Board  of  Trade  of  Erie,  Pa. 
The  unique  value  of  this  book  consists  in  its 
complete  study  of  city  planning  as  related  to 
Erie  and  the  inclusion  of  suggestive  matter  re- 
lating to  city  planning  in  this  country  and 
abroad.  Chapters  deal  with  streets,  railroads, 
waterfront,  buildings,  open  spaces,  and  the  in- 
dispensability  of  city  planning. 

On  August  28,  1913,  the  Board  of  Estimate 
and  Apportionment  of  the  City  of  New  York,  New  York 
at  the  request  of  Borough  President  Mc- 
Aneny  of  Manhattan,  agreed  to  make  an  ap- 
propriation for  an  exhibition  of  city  planning, 
providing  that  half  as  much  could  be  raised  by 
private  subscription.  On  the  same  day  the 
Merchants'  Association  of  New  York  guaran- 


220      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

teed  the  amount  required.  An  advisory  com- 
mission was  duly  named,  which  secured  the  use 
of  the  New  York  Public  Library  exhibition 
rooms  and  appointed  the  American  City  Bu- 
reau to  collect  and  install  the  exhibit. 

The  officials  of  many  foreign  cities  and  those 
of  all  American  cities  of  over  10,000  popula- 
tion were  asked  to  co-operate  to  make  this  ex- 
hibition representative.  This  invitation  was 
also  extended  to  many  civic  and  commercial  or- 
ganizations. The  response  was  wide-spread 
and  so  generous  in  amount  that  the  commission 
was  unable  to  find  room  for  all  of  the  valuable 
material. 

The  exhibit  took  place  November  24  to  De- 
cember 7,  1913.  Its  purposes  as  defined  in 
the  official  catalogue  were  to  explain  to  the 
public  the  meaning  and  scope  of  city  planning; 
to  show,  also,  the  intimate  relation  between  all 
the  different  branches  of  the  subject;  and, 
lastly,  to  prove  to  taxpayers  that  efficient  plan- 
ning is  one  of  the  best  investments  a  city  can 
make. 

The  bibliography  of  city  planning  is  already 

Bibiiog-        very  large.     The  New  York  Public  Library 

has  published  a  Select  List  of  Works  Relat- 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  221 

ing  to  City  Planning  and  Allied  Topics  which 
was  especially  prepared  for  the  city  planning 
exhibition.  A  Selected  List  of  Municipal 
and  Civic  Books  is  obtainable  from  the  Amer- 
ican City  Bureau,  New  York  City.^ 

THE   HOUSTON   SHIP    CHANNEL 

A  leading  example  of  civic  improvement  due 
to  the  efforts  of  a  chamber  of  commerce  is  the 
Houston  Ship  Channel,  now  in  course  of  con- 
struction. When  completed  the  waterway 
will  enable  the  largest  steamers  to  reach  Hous- 
ton from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of 

•4  Recent  magazine  articles  on  city  planning  and  civic  im- 
provement in  relation  to  commercial  bodies  include: 
World's  Work,  Vol.  XXVII,  pages  354-355,  January  1914,  "A 
Commercial  Club  in  a  Small  Town,"  describing  the  work  of 
the  Dallas  Chamber  of  Commerce.  National  Municipal  i2«- 
view,  Vol.  I,  page  236,  "The  Business  Side  of  City  Plan- 
ning"; page  318,  "The  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
City  Planning";  page  325,  "Harrisburg  Board  of  Trade  and 
the  Billboards";  page  458,  "San  Francisco's  Civic  Center"; 
Vol.  II,  page  132,  "City  Planning";  page  210,  "Constructive 
Housing  Reform."  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  12, 
page   13,   "Commercial   Organizations   and   Social   Welfare." 

See  also  H.  Bruere,  The  New  City  Government,  pages  384- 
393,  citing  cases  of  civic  improvement  by  chambers  of  com- 
merce; S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building,  Chapter  VII,  "Street  Build- 
ing and  Cleaning,"  Chapter  IX,  "The  City  Beautiful,"  and 
Chapter  XII,  "Good  Roads";  Annals  of  the  American  Acad- 
emy; Vol.  XXV,  pages  359-401,  "Activities  of  Civic  Organi- 
zations for  Municipal  Improvement  in  the  U.  S.";  Some 
Activities  of  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1912, 
(also,  same,  1913). 


222      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

fifty  miles.  This  Channel  was  originally 
Government  known  as  Buffalo  Bayou  and  existed  as  a  nat- 
ural arm  of  the  sea.  It  was  sluggish  and 
marshy,  besides  being  too  shallow  to  admit  ves- 
sels of  ordinary  size.  As  early  as  1871  the 
United  States  Government  adopted  a  plan  for 
the  improvement  of  the  harbor,  to  make  it  one 
hundred  feet  wide  and  twelve  feet  deep ;  and  in 
1898  the  Board  of  Survey's  report  for  the  en- 
largement of  Buffalo  Bayou  was  acted  upon 
favorably.  This  report  recommended  a  mini- 
mum depth  of  twenty-five  feet. 

Work  was  partially  completed  in  1909, 
when,  as  a  result  of  dredging,  the  depth  had 
been  increased  to  eighteen  feet  throughout  the 
entire  length.  This  depth  has  been  sufficient 
to  accommodate  small  coasting  vessels  and 
Houston's  annual  traffic  already  amounts  to 
over  $55,000,000.  For  several  years  previous 
to  1909  the  Houston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Manchester    realizing  the  need  for  extensive  harbor  im- 

Ship  Canal 

provements,  made  a  study  of  the  Manchester 
Ship  Canal  in  England.  The  commercial 
growth  of  this  English  city  has  been  due  largely 
to  a  canal  that  was  built  to  overcome  condi- 
tions very  similar  to  those  found  at  Houston. 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  22S 

At  a  cost  of  several  million  dollars  the  shallow 
Mersey  was  dredged  and  the  underlying  bed 
rock,  excavated,  so  that  the  largest  ocean  liners 
can  now  dock  at  Manchester. 

In  1909  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  re-named 
Buffalo  Bayou,  calling  it  the  Houston  Ship 
Channel,  and  started  plans  to  secure  an  appro- 
priation from  the  Government  to  enlarge  the 
Channel  to  a  minimum  depth  of  twenty-five 
feet  and  a  minimum  width  of  200  feet.  The 
estimated  cost  of  this  work  was  $2,500,000. 
After  considerable  delay  Congress  granted  an 
appropriation  of  $1,250,000  on  condition  that 
Houston  would  raise  an  equal  amount.  There- 
upon the  business  men  of  the  city  came  for- 
ward and  accepted  the  proposition,  the  issue 
of  bonds  being  promptly  taken  up  by  local 
banks  and  trust  companies.  The  funds  were 
placed  to  the  account  of  the  Secretary  of  War  ^ork 
and  in  1912  the  work  now  nearing  completion  completion 
was  started  by  United  States  engineers. 

By  the  terms  of  the  contract  with  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  city  of  Houston  has  agreed  to 
construct  adequate  wharfage  to  be  maintained 
forever  free  to  commerce,  thus  making  Hous- 
ton a  free  port  and  exempting  from  taxes  all 


224      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

freight  passing  over  its  wharves.  The  signifi- 
cance of  the  immense  project  may  be  appre- 
ciated from  the  statement  that  Houston  is  the 
furthest  point  inland  on  deep  water  in  the  State 
of  Texas,  and  is  entered  by  seventeen  Hnes  of 
railroad.  As  soon  as  the  Channel  is  completed, 
Houston  will  be  the  logical  freight  center  for 
the  products  of  fourteen  middle-western  states 
bound  for  South  American  points  via  the 
Panama  Canal.^ 

THE  GROWTH  OF  OKLAHOMA  CITY 

The  chamber  of  commerce  in  Oklahoma  City 
has  been  unusually  successful  in  accomplishing 
civic  improvement.  This  city  was  founded 
only  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  and  since  then 
has  reached  a  population  of  approximately 
72,000.  Between  the  years  1900-1910  the 
population  grew  from  10,000  to  65,000.  A 
few  years  ago  the  local  civic  bodies  were  consol- 
idated into  one  organization,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  which  now  represents  over  1200 
business  firms.  The  city's  growth  and  promi- 
nence can  be  traced  directly  to  the  work  of  this 

8  "The  Houston  Ship  Channel  in  Epitome,"  article  prepared 
by  the  Houston  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  author,  re- 
ceived December  12,  1913. 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  225 

central  civic  organization.  Moreover,  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce's  activity, 
the  commission  form  of  government  has  re- 
cently replaced  the  federal  plan  in  Oklahoma 
City. 

In  1907,  when  Oklahoma  was  granted  state- 
hood, its  capital  was  Guthrie.  Through  the 
efforts  of  the  Oklahoma  City  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce a  movement  was  started  to  make  Okla- 
homa City  the  capital  of  the  new  State.  In 
favor  of  this  plan  it  was  argued  that  the  city 
was  the  most  central  point  in  the  State  and  had 
excellent  transportation  facilities,  besides  being 
thejargest  city  in  Oklahoma.  The  legislation 
required  for  this  change  could  be  secured  only 
by  an  affirmative  vote  of  the  people  of  Okla-  campaign 

by 

homa  on  an  initiative  petition.    As  a  result  of  a  Oklahoma 
State-wide  campaign  led  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  the  people  by  a  large  majority  de- 
clared in  favor  of  Oklahoma  City. 

At  this  point  difficulties  arose.  Oklahoma 
City,  in  return  for  being  made  the  permanent 
home  of  the  State  Government,  had  agreed  to 
provide  funds  for  the  construction  of  a  Capitol 
building.  A  suit  instituted  by  Guthrie  to  re- 
cover its  position  as  capital  and  the  failure  of 


226      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

the  State  legislature  to  provide  certain  enact- 
ments hindered  the  execution  of  this  project. 
Finally  the  State  agreed  to  start  construction 
work  on  the  Capitol  building  on  condition  that 
Oklahoma  City  would  pay  over  $100,000  in 
cash  and  vest  the  State  with  a  clear  title  to  665 
acres  of  land,  valued  at  $1,400,000. 

The  land  was  easily  secured  by  gift ;  and,  as 
the  city  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  the  money, 
certain  public-spirited  citizens  agreed  to  do- 
nate a  sufficient  amount  of  land  for  park  and 
play-ground  purposes,  the  city  to  issue  bonds 
thereon  to  the  amount  of  $100,000.  Just  at 
this  time,  however,  several  financiers  signified 
their  intention  to  build  a  railroad  from  Okla- 
homa City  to  Woodward,  a  town  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  provided  that  Okla- 
homa City  would  furnish  the  terminals  and 
purchase  the  right  of  way  as  far  as  the  county 
Bond  line.     As  the  advantage  of  having  this  railroad 

Issue 

Voted  was  apparent,  the  citizens  voted  in  favor  of  in- 

creasing the  bond  issue  to  $250,000  to  enable 
the  city  to  obtain  both  the  Capitol  building  and 
the  new  railway.  The  plan  was  executed  suc- 
cessfully and  the  value  of  a  novel  method  of 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  227 

financing    civic    improvements    was    demon- 
strated.^ 

It  would  not  be  by  any  means  difficult  to 
multiply  instances  of  civic  improvement  as  a 
result  of  commercial  organization  activity. 
However,  the  purpose  of  this  volume  is  not  to 
draw  the  details  with  too  great  a  degree  of 
minuteness,  but  rather  to  present  a  general 
survey  of  the  civic  work  of  American  commer- 
cial bodies.  A  board  of  trade  or  a  chamber  of 
commerce  is,  after  all,  only  a  body  of  citizens. 
It  is  but  natural  that  they  should  wish  to  im- 
prove their  city.  But,  that  they  have  devel- 
oped a  powerful  co-operative  force  which  en- 
ables them,  in  the  face  of  many  obstacles,  to 
effect  improvements  and  reforms  is  a  remark- 
able achievement. 

6  "Oklahoma  City  Unique  in  Nation,"  article  by  W.  B. 
Moore,  Secretary  of  the  Oklahoma  City  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce.   The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  3,  page  6. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES 


CHAPTER  XI 

COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES 

A  MIGHTY  competition  between  cities  is  result- 
ing from  the  growth  in  influence  of  commercial 
organizations  in  this  country.  It  is  becoming 
increasingly  necessary  to  recognize  the  board 
of  trade  as  an  important  economic  factor  whose 
operations  may  be  tremendously  significant. 
The  board  of  trade  has  been  termed  the  city's 
garrison,  ever  alert  to  sense  changing  condi- 
tions, or  important  movements  by  other  trade 
centers,  and  faithful  in  building  up  and  pre- 
serving the  commercial  strength  of  the  city. 

The  words  of  a  speaker  before  the  Phila-  Modem 

.       Functions 

delphia  Board  of  Trade  some  years  ago  epit-  Epitomized 
omize  the  functions  of  the  modern  civic  and 
commercial  organizations : 

"Maintain  your  interest  in  the  great  work 
which  lies  before  you  for  the  education  and 
improvement  of  the  people  of  our  city ;  for  the 
development  of  those  impersonal  interests  un- 
derlying the  prosperity  of  a  great  city."  ^ 

1  Fraley,  op.  cit.,  pages  66-7. 

231 


232       AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 
CIVIC   ADVERTISING 

Publicity  is  an  important  element  in  inter- 
I  city  competition,  but  unless  a  city  has  impor- 
tant advantages  to  offer  new  industries,  money 
so  spent  is  wasted.  In  some  cases  the  signifi- 
cant undertakings  of  commercial  bodies  have 
aroused  general  interest  and  newspapers  and 
periodicals  have  published  accounts  for  their 
news  value.  Many  boards  of  trade  send  out 
pamphlets  and  illustrated  booklets  displaying 
local  industrial  and  civic  advantages.^  The 
most  notable  achievement  in  advertising  of  this 
sort  is  the  volume  New  England:  What  It  la 
and  What  It  Is  to  Be,  circulated  in  1911  by 
the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

2  See  Special  Agents  Series — No.  60.  Commercial  Organi- 
zations, by  E.  A.  Brand,  Washington,  D.  C,  1913.  Pages 
44-45  "Publicity."  Also  Special  Agents  Series — No.  79. 
Commercial  Organizations  in  Southern  and  Western  Cities, 
by  George  W.  Doonan,  Washington,  D.  C,  1914.  Page  6 
"Publicity  Work." 

Chapter  X — "Advertising  the  Town,"  in  The  Making  of  a 
Town,  by  Frank  L.  McVey,  discusses  modern  publicity  meth- 
ods employed  by  cities. 

Chapter  II— "Publicity,"  in  City  Building,  by  S.  H.  Clay, 
gives  details  and  practical  suggestions  for  city  advertising 
campaigns. 

See  H.  F.  Miller,  "Publicity,"  page  23,  Proceedings,  Fifth  An- 
nual Convention,  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secre- 
taries. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  233 

The  assets  of  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  to  take  Milwaukee' 

Assets 

a  concrete  case,  are  thus  set  forth  in  the  1913 
Year  Book  of  the  Milwaukee  Merchants  and 
Manufacturers  Association : 

''Health:  Figures  furnished  by  the  Health 
Departments  of  other  cities  show  conclusively 
that  Milwaukee  has  the  lowest  death  rate 
of  any  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  United 
States.  .  .  . 

''Homes:  Milwaukee  is  essentially  the  'city 
of  homes,'  second  to  no  other  city  as  a  place 
of  residence  afforded  by  the  elevations  which 
surround  the  city.  ...  It  has  no  congested 
slum  or  tenement  districts. 

"Parks:  ,  .  .  Every  section  of  the  city  has 
its  own  park.  Its  residence  streets  are  beauti- 
ful, many  being  over-arched  with  maple  and 
elm  trees. 

"Shipping:  Milwaukee  is  the  largest  re- 
ceiving port  and  one  of  the  greatest  land  and 
rail  exchange  points  on  the  Great  Lakes,  con- 
necting the  water  route  to  the  East  with  the 
rail  lines  to  the  West  and  Northwest.  The 
inner  harbor  consists  of  three  large  rivers,  .  .  . 
all  affording  twenty  miles  of  dockage  and  am- 
ple connections  with  railroad  warehouses  and 
manufacturing  plants. 

"Civic:  Milwaukee  is  the  most  orderly  and 
law-abiding  city  in  the  nation,  having  a  smaller 
percentage  of  crime  and  vice  than  any  other. 


234.      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

"Public  Utilities:  The  rates  for  water,  gas, 
and  electric  power  and  light  are  most  reasona- 
ble. The  city  administration  maintains  a  help- 
ful attitude  towards  all  industrial  enterprises.^ 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT 

The  growth  of  one  community  as  a  manu- 
facturing center  may  possibly  be  independent 
of  a  corresponding  decrease  elsewhere,  but  as 
a  general  thing  industrial  development  involves 
the  element  of  competition  between  cities. 
Going  concerns  remove  from  one  place  to  an- 
other in  order  to  obtain  increased  facilities  for 
transportation  or  production,  or  because  the 
new  location  offers  better  living  conditions. 
The  full  value  of  the  economic  arguments  ad- 
vanced in  favor  of  civic  improvement  is  thus 
apparent. 

Most  chambers  of  commerce  maintain  in- 

industriai     dustrial  burcaus  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 

contemplated  removals  and  securing  a  first 

hearing  for  the  advantages  of  their  respective 

cities.     A  recent  Government  report*  criti- 

&  Commercial  Milwaukee:  1913  Year  Book  of  the  Merchants 
and  Manufacturers  Association,  175  pages  4to.  References  to 
pages  6,  7,  10,  and  12. 

See  Putnam's,  1910,  Vol.  VII,  pages  673-80,  "Era  of  Civic 
Advertising." 

4  Brands,   Commercial   Organizations,   etc.,  page  46.    A.   F» 


Bureaus 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  235 

cises  the  practice  of  bidding  for  industrial  con- 
cerns and  offering  large  bonuses  and  other  ma- 
terial inducements.  The  first  duty  of  a  cham- 
ber of  commerce  is  to  the  local  enterprises ;  by 
making  them  healthy,  the  community  will  be 
better  off  in  times  of  business  depression. 

A  report  of  the  Industrial  Committee  of  the  conserva- 
tive Policy 
Merchants'  Association  of  New  York,  "in  the 

matter  of  obtaining,  and  providing  for,  new  in- 
dustries in  New  York  city"^  advises  a  sane, 
conservative  policy  and  makes  these  significant 
statements : 

"The  Merchants'  Association  should  encour- 
age only  carefully  considered  attempts  to  bring 
new  industries  to  New  York.  .  .  .  The  loca- 

Bacon,  "Facts  Which  Commercial  Bodies  Must  Face,"  The 
[dmerican  City,  Vol.  X,  no.  6,  page  555,  argues  that  the  re- 
sult of  attracting  industries  to  a  city  is  likely  to  be  the  crea- 
tion of  slum  dis.tricts,  because  the  city  has  not  enough  decent 
houses  for  the  accommodation  of  the  new  employees  and  their 
families.  The  same  idea  is  brought  out  by  W.  L.  Finch, 
"Town  Development,"  page  34  of  the  Proceedings,  Fifth 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial 
Secretaries. 

5  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  II,  no.  3,  page  1.  See  further, 
same,  no.  4,  page  1;  no.  14,  page  8;  and  no.  27,  page  1. 

Further  references  on  location  of  industries:  Clay's  City 
Building,  Chapter  III;  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  2, 
page  7,  "Detroit";  Vol.  II,  no.  1,  page  10,  "Achievements  of 
Commercial  Organizations — Locating  Industries";  G.  H.  For- 
see,  "Industries,"  page  26,  Proceedings,  Fifth  Annual  Con- 
vention, Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries. 


236      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

tion  of  industries  worth  having  is  determined 
by  economic  factors  and  not  by  mere  sohcita- 
tion.  .  .  .  The  purpose  of  the  Merchants'  As- 
sociation should  be  to  develop  the  entire  terri- 
tory which  is  tributary  to  New  York.  We 
deem  it  wise  to  steer  such  enterprises  as  cannot 
be  secured  for  Greater  New  York  to  Jersey 
City,  Newark,  etc.,  rather  than  have  them  lo- 
cate at  Cleveland  or  some  other  distant  city. 
.  .  .  We  are  against  the  policy  of  giving  arti- 
ficial advantages  to  new  concerns.  .^.  .  We 
beheve  that  the  Merchants'  Association 
through  the  Industrial  Bureau  should  make  a 
thorough  study  of  the  whole  problem  of  the 
location  of  industrial  plants  so  that  it  will 
eventually  become  known  as  an  authority  on 
the  subject." 

The  so-called  Williamsport  plan  for  financ- 
Financing  ing  industries  has  frequently  been  followed  by 
boards  of  trade,  notably  in  Scranton,  Pa.,^  and 
Boston,  Mass.  The  Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce was  responsible  for  the  organization  of 
an  Industrial  Development  Company.     The 

« See  M.  K.  Edgar,  "For  Financing  Industrial  Develop- 
ment," The  American  City,  July  1914,  page  56,  describing 
Scranton's  plan.  Also,  The  World's  Work,  Vol.  XXIV,  pages 
705-706,  "Boston  Credit  Lending";  W.  E.  Holmes,  "The 
Guaranty  Fund,"  page  29  of  the  Proceedings,  Fifth  Annual 
Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Commercial  Secre- 
taries. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  237 

latter  guarantees  on  the  security  of  a  credit 
fund  the  notes  of  men  with  enterprises  to  es- 
tablish, who  have  been  previously  recommended 
by  the  Chamber.  The  officers  of  the  Devel- 
opment Company  have  the  power  to  reject 
such  recommendations  as  they  wish.  The  lia- 
bility of  each  subscriber  to  the  credit  fund  of 
$500,000,  $50,000  of  which  is  paid  in,  is  lim- 
ited to  the  amount  of  his  guarantee  and  all 
losses  are  distributed  pro  rata. 

The    Cincinnati    Chamber    of    Commerce,  industrial 

Survey 

through  its  Civic  Industrial  Department,  re- 
cently started  an  industrial  survey  of  the  city. 
A  circular  letter  has  been  sent  to  manufactur- 
ers asking  them  to  furnish  data  regarding  the 
cost  of  raw  materials,  freight  rates,  limits  of 
natural  markets,  and  the  cost  and  availability 
of  labor.  These  and  other  facts  will  enable  the 
officials  to  supply  correct  information  concern- 
ing industrial  conditions  in  Cincinnati.  In 
conjunction  with  this  investigation  a  vocational 
education  survey  is  being  conducted  for  the 
purpose  of  finding  out  what  employees  in  the 
different  industries  need  to  learn  and  what 
part  of  it  they  could  learn  in  industrial  schools. 


238      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 
CONVENTIONS 

Much  competition  arises  between  rival  cities 
to  secure  the  conventions  of  associations  and 
societies  which  are  annually  held  in  the  United 
States  to  the  number  of  over  18,000/  The 
value  of  conventions  to  a  city  grows  out  of  the 
influx  of  people  and  the  resultant  circulation 
of  new  money.  The  majority  of  commercial 
bodies,  through  their  convention  boards  or  com- 
mittees, endeavor  to  bring  conventions  to  their 
respective  cities,  favoring  this  means  of  ob- 
taining publicity. 

The  Committee  on  Conventions  of  the  Bos- 
Fiie  of  ton  Chamber  of  Commerce  maintains  a  file 

Data 

concerning  transportation  facilities  and  avail- 
able hotels  and  halls,  and  also  keeps  track  of 
all  the  important  conventions  in  the  United 
States.  Before  inviting  a  convention  to  Bos- 
ton, the  Chamber  of  Commerce  makes  certain 
that  local  organizations  are  willing  to  provide 

7  Brand,  Commercial  Organizations,  page  34.  See  above 
page  77. 

For  practical  suggestions  regarding  the  securing  and  en- 
tertainment of  conventions  see  S.  H.  Clay,  City  Building, 
Chapter  IV,  "Conventions." 

See  M.  Carmichael,  "Conventions,"  page  24,  Proceedings  of  the 
Fourth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Central  Association  of  Com- 
mercial Secretaries. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  239 

proper  entertainment  for  the  convention  dele- 
gates. 

According  to  the  Fourth  Annual  Directors' 
Report: 

"When  it  is  considered  that  the  committee 
is  compelled  to  work  without  funds  and  to  bid 
against  the  substantial  inducements  offered  to 
conventions  by  other  cities,  the  advantages  of 
Boston  as  a  convention  city,  and  the  efficiency 
of  this  committee  as  an  agency  to  induce  con- 
ventions to  come  to  Boston  should  be  appre- 
ciated." « 

Mr.  Ryerson  Ritchie,  the  prominent  com- 
mercial organization  expert,  though  admitting  Ritchie  on 

.  .  1  /»  .  ,  Conventions 

the  advertismg  value  ol  conventions,  has  pub- 
licly said  that  they  create  an  abnormal  condi- 
tion in  the  city  which  is  not  to  be  preferred  to 
the  regular  and  steady  course  of  business.  In 
his  opinion: 

"The  greatest  of  conventions  with  baggage 
and  banners  is  not  of  as  much  value  as  one  little 
factory  whose  operatives  and  their  families 
live  and  move  about  here  365  days  in  the 
year."  ^ 

8  1912  Report  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  pages 
97-8. 

9  Ryerson  Ritchie,  "The  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Peo- 
ple."    The  American  City,  Vol.  V,  pages  74-7. 


240      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

Campaigning  for  conventions,  nevertheless, 
is  a  major  activity  in  even  the  most  prominent 
commercial  organizations.  Bonus-giving  to 
secure  a  convention  is  discountenanced,  and 
efficient  organizations  generally  ascertain  the 
benefits  likely  to  accrue  to  the  city  before  ne- 
gotiating with  convention  representatives. 

NEWARK  VERSUS  NEW  YORK   CITY 

The  contests  in  which  cities  engage  may  be 
conducted  by  strategy  as  shown  in  the  case  of 
the  Passaic  railroad  bridges.  In  1903  the 
Merchants'  Association  of  New  York  made  ap- 
plication to  Secretary  Elihu  Root  of  the  War 
Department  for  an  order  to  authorize  the  vari- 
ous railroad  companies  to  close  their  draw- 
bridges over  the  Passaic  River  two  and  one- 
half  hours  every  morning  and  afternoon,  sus- 
pending river  traffic  during  these  periods. 
The  purpose  of  this  application  was  to  benefit 
the  New  York  commuters  and  to  forestall  the 
possibiUty  of  railroad  delays  in  rush  hours 
when  dozens  of  trains  pass  through  Newark 
and  over  the  Passaic  River  on  their  way  to 
New  York.  The  Newark  Board  of  Trade, 
upon  hearing  of  this  attempt  on  the  part  of 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  241 

the  Merchants'  Association  and  perceiving  that 
Newark's  large  river  commerce  was  threatened, 
communicated  with  Washington  and  secured 
the  appointment  of  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  before 
whom  several  hearings  were  held.  As  a  result 
the  Newark  Board  of  Trade  received  the  as- 
surance that  these  bridges  would  not  be  closed 
to  navigation,  nor  would  they  be  permitted  to 
remain  closed  until  they  had  been  raised  a 
specified  height  above  low  water  and  until  the 
Government  had  completed  river  improve- 
ments so  that  tidal  conditions  would  not  be  a 
factor  in  the  navigation  of  the  Passaic.^^ 

In  1907,  when  Mr.  Taft  was  Secretary  of  second 
War,  the  New  York  business  men,  seconded  ^^^ 
by  the  railroad  interests,  made  another  appli- 
cation for  permission  to  close  the  bridges  at 
certain  hours.  In  this  case  the  move  was 
planned  so  quietly  that  it  almost  escaped  the 
notice  of  the  Newark  Board  of  Trade.  How- 
ever, twenty-four  hours  after  the  first  news  of 
this  attempt  reached  the  Board,  a  Newark  del- 
egation was  conferring  with  Secretary  Taft  in 
Washington. 

10  1903  Report  of  the  Newark  Board  of  Trade,  page  59. 
See  also  "A  New  Force  for  City  Efficiency,"  The   World^s 
Work,  Vol.  XVIII,  pages  11654-6,  June  1909. 


242      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

"It  was  my  privilege,"  writes  Secretary 
Reilly  of  the  Newark  Board  of  Trade,  "to  off  er 
the  brief  on  behalf  of  our  Board,  and  as  it 
would  have  taken  twenty  minutes'  time  to  read 
the  entire  brief  and  the  time  left  at  our  dis- 
posal was  only  five  minutes,  I  simply  quoted 
one  paragraph  and  the  decision  of  the  Secre- 
tary, Honorable  William  H.  Taft,  was  sub- 
stantially in  the  words  of  the  paragraph  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  'Twelfth:  The  proper  official  of  each  of 
the  railroads  should  be  required  to  present  a 
statement  showing  the  actual  detentions  and 
interruptions  to  passenger  train  schedules,  un- 
der affidavit ;  such  statement  to  contain  the  date 
of  detention,  the  actual  cause  of  detention,  the 
time  lost,  the  point  at  which  detention  oc- 
curred, either  through  terminal  congestion, 
congestion  at  the  tunnels,  or  detention  caused 
by  the  opening  or  closing  of  bridges ;  such  state- 
ment should  be  insisted  upon  before  considera- 
tion is  given  to  the  petition  to  penalize  river 
traffic  and  river  front  property  by  a  closed 
period.' "^^ 

THE  PORT   OF   BOSTON   MOVEMENT 

The  special  activity  of  the  Boston  Chamber 
of  Commerce  known  as  the  "Port  of  Boston 
Movement,"   extends   far  beyond  its   funda- 

11  Letter  of  James  M.  Reilly,  Secretary  of  the  Newark 
Board  of  Trade,  December  16,  1913. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  243 

mental  purpose,  harbor  development,  and 
gives  us  an  insight  into  a  great  modern  strug- 
gle for  commercial  supremacy.  Boston  has 
long  sought  the  opportunity  to  contend  with 
New  York  as  a  seaport.  The  thoroughly  con- 
structive work  now  being  done  by  the  Boston 
Chamber  with  this  end  in  view  has  already  pro- 
duced material  results/^ 

By  virtue  of  location  alone  Boston  has  un- 
usual commercial  advantages  and  it  was  the 
realization  of  this  fact  that  caused  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  to  undertake  the  present 
campaign  for  port  improvement.  These  ad- 
vantages include  proximity  to  Europe  and  to 
South  America.  The  completion  of  the  Pan- 
ama Canal,  moreover,  has  given  Boston  added 
importance  as  a  shipping  center.  i 

Development  of  the  Boston  water-front  was  Appropri- 

^  .        ,  .  ,         ,    .  1.1       ation  for 

nrst  seriously  considered  m  1911,  when  the  Harbor 
Chamber  of  Commerce  prepared  a  bill  calling  ments 
for  a  special  port  board  to  have  complete  con- 
trol over  harbor  development,  and  also  for  a 
large  appropriation  available  for  the  immedi- 

12  See  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle,  October  19,  1913,  "Boston  Makes 
Bid  for  Shipping  Trade." 

Also  "Summary,"  page  62,  1912  Report  of  the  Directors  of 
the  Port  of  Boston. 


244      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

ate  use  of  this  board  in  the  construction  of 
piers,  terminals,  and  track  connections.  The 
bill  further  provided  for  industrial  areas  con- 
tiguous to  the  terminals.  It  was  presented  to 
the  committee  of  the  Legislature  which  re- 
ported the  bill  in  somewhat  altered  form,  but 
providing  an  even  larger  appropriation  than 
that  suggested  by  the  Chamber.  The  modified 
bill  received  the  united  support  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  other  organizations  inter- 
ested. A  state-wide  campaign  resulted  in  the 
passage  of  the  act  practically  in  its  original 
form,  creating  a  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Port 
of  Boston  and  appropriating  $9,000,000  for 
their  use.  This  Board  was  appointed  by  the 
Gk)vernor  and  the  Mayor  in  1911  and  con- 
sisted of  four  Directors,  all  members  of  the 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce.^^ 

The  first  accomplishment  of  the  Directors  of 
the  Port  was  to  persuade  the  Hamburg- Amer- 
ican Line  to  make  Boston  one  of  its  ports  for 
transatlantic  passenger  steamers.^'*  At  the 
same  time  the  lease  by  which  the  New  York, 

13  Report  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911,  pages 
36-7. 
1*  The  Nation's  Bttsiness,  Vol.  I,  no.  8,  page  4. 


COMPETITION  BETWT:EN  CITIES  245 

New  Haven,  and  Hartford  Railroad  had  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  Commonwealth  Pier  was 
annulled  and  the  pier  was  re-fitted  to  accom- 
modate the  Hamburg-American  vessels.  Of 
the  original  appropriation  of  $9,000,000 
for  port  improvements,  $3,000,000  were  ap- 
portioned for  this  work  alone.^^  In  Novem- 
ber 1913  one-half  of  the  improvements  on  the 
pier  had  been  completed  and  work  was  pro- 
gressing rapidly.  Three  of  the  largest  steam- 
ships in  the  world  could  be  accommodated  at 
the  Conmionwealth  Pier  at  the  same  time,  its 
capacity  equalling  the  total  capacity  of  any 
four  other  piers  in  Boston  harbor. 

On  State  land  at  South  Boston  preliminary 
work  is  in  progress  for  the  construction  of  a  large 

Sirvdock 

drydock  which  will  be  the  largest  in  the  west-  Planned 
ern  hemisphere.  For  this  purpose  $3,000,000 
have  been  appropriated  out  of  the  original 
fund  provided  by  the  Legislature  and  contracts 
for  the  use  of  the  drydock  have  been  made  with 
leading  transatlantic  steamship  companies.^^ 
Tentative  plans  have  also  been  prepared  for  the 

15  Letter  of  Mr.  Edwin  J.  Clapp  for  the  Directors  of  the 
Port  of  Boston,  November  29,  1913. 

16  Fifth    Annual    Directors*    Report,    Boston    Chamber    of 
Commerce,  November  1913,  page  10. 


246      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


Handbook 


Boston's 
Construc- 
tive 
Progrram 


modernization  of  a  large  pier  in  East  Boston, 
and  for  the  reclamation  of  State-owned  flats 
in  that  vicinity.  The  work  will  be  financed 
out  of  the  remaining  $3,000,000." 

In  order  to  follow  up  the  port  improvements 
and  to  induce  New  England  manufacturers  to 
export  their  products  by  way  of  Boston,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1913  issued  a 
Handbook  of  the  Port  of  Boston,  This 
cloth-bound  volume  of  265  pages  was  published 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Chamber's  Commit- 
tee on  Foreign  Trade  and  contains  a  compila- 
tion of  useful  facts  concerning  shipping  facil- 
ities, customs  regulations,  tables  of  foreign 
moneys,  and  weights  and  measures. 

The  success  of  the  "Port  of  Boston  Move- 
ment" is  vitally  connected  with  harbor  devel- 
opment; but  no  amount  of  preparation  for 
handling  a  greater  volume  of  freight  will  actu- 
ally increase  Boston's  commerce.  The  build- 
ing up  of  the  city's  trade,  as  the  Boston  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  has  wisely  foreseen,  depends 
upon  securing  New  England's  co-operation 
and  the  good  will  of  the  principal  foreign  coun- 
tries.    Boston  has  taken  a  major  part  in  the 


17  The  Nation's  Business,  Vol.  I,  no.  8,  page  6. 


Tour 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  247 

activity  of  the  International  Congress  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce.  ^^  The  energetic 
work  of  the  Boston  delegates  at  the  1910  Con- 
gress in  London  was  responsible  for  bringing 
the  Congress  to  Boston  in  1912,  the  first  time 
that  this  organization  has  met  in  the  United 
States/^  In  the  smnmer  of  1911  the  Boston 
Chamber  organized  and  conducted  a  seventy-  European 
day  torn*  of  European  cities  for  the  purpose  of 
arousing  international  interest  in  the  1912 
Congress  and  of  extending  formal  invitations 
to  many  organizations  and  governments.  The 
effect  of  this  tour  was  to  advertise  Boston 
widely  among  influential  Europeans,  and  to 
bring  to  the  Boston  Congress  850  delegates, 
more  than  twice  as  many  as  had  attended  any 
previous  meeting.  Of  these  about  550  came 
from  the  forty-four  foreign  countries  repre- 
sented in  the  Congress.  The  whole  city  of 
Boston  co-operated  in  furnishing  entertain- 
ment to  the  delegates.  Mayor  Fitzgerald  took 
a  personal  interest  in  the  arrangements  and  ob- 
tained an  appropriation  from  the  city.  The 
State  of  Massachusetts  joined  with  the  city  and 

18  See  above,  page  71  ff. 

19  1911  Report  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  page 
43. 


248      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 


South 

America 

Visited 


Orgranizingr 
New  Eng- 
land 


the  business  men  of  Boston  in  bearing  the  ex- 
pense of  the  Congress. 

In  1913  the  Boston  Chamber  organized  a 
South  American  Embassy  composed  of  New 
England  business  men  and  representatives  of 
the  professions.  This  party  made  a  three 
months'  tour  of  seven  of  the  foremost  South 
and  Central  American  countries  and  three  of 
the  West  Indies  colonies,  covering  altogether 
16,000  miles.  The  declared  object  of  the  tour, 
— the  establishment  of  cordial  commercial  rela- 
tions between  New  England  and  South  Amer- 
ica,— was  satisfactorily  achieved.  Everywhere 
commercial  organizations,  both  local  and  na- 
tional, extended  elaborate  courtesies.  This 
experiment  by  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce was  closely  watched  throughout  the 
country  and  official  Washington  manifested 
great  interest  in  the  results. 

While  thus  effectively  advertising  Boston  to 
foreign  countries  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
has  been  concerned  even  more  with  uniting  the 
industrial  forces  of  New  England  and  training 
New  Englanders  to  help  Boston  in  her  fight  for 
commercial    supremacy.'^     Having    provided 

20  See  also  Bert  Ball,  "Inseparable  City  and  Country,"  page 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  249 

for  harbor  improvements  and  created  a  demand 
for  American  goods  in  foreign  countries,  the 
Boston  Chamber  has  turned  its  attention  to 
developing  the  source  of  supply. 

In  the  fall  of  1911  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce presented  to  the  people  of  New  Eng- 
land an  Industrial  and  Educational  Exposi- 
tion, featuring  many  New  England  products 
and  manufactures.  The  success  of  this  ex- 
position in  drawing  the  attention  of  the  whole 
country  to  New  England  was  marked  and  led 
to  the  Industrial  Exposition  of  1913,  con- 
ducted on  a  much  larger  scale,  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  principal  civic  and  commercial 
organizations  all  over  New  England. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  book, 
New  England:  What  It  Is  and  What  It  Is  «New 
to  Be,  published  in  1911  by  the  Boston  Cham-  ^^  ^^ 
ber.  This  volume,  in  addition  to  possessing 
true  advertising  value,  has  done  much  to  create 
a  spirit  of  solidarity  throughout  the  New  Eng- 
land States.    In  several  chapters  the  industries, 

51,  Proceedings  of  the  Fourth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Cen- 
tral Association  of  Commercial  Secretaries;  J.  L.  Kling- 
ler,  "The  Metropolis  and  the  State,"  in  Commercial  MiVwa/O' 
kee,  1913  Year  Book  of  the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers 
Association,  Milwaukee,  page  16. 


250      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

resources,  and  transportation  facilities  in  this 
section  are  attractively  described  with  a  view 
to  making  the  New  Englander  proud  of  his 
part  of  the  country.  The  Boston  Chamber 
has  done  well  in  emphasizing  the  close  relation- 
ship existing  between  the  city  and  the  agricul- 
tural districts,  and  by  helping  New  England 
communities  to  grow  and  prosper  it  has  also 
succeeded  in  making  them  turn  to  Boston  as 
the  commercial  center  of  New  England. 

NEW  York's  port  problems 

New  York  harbor  has  a  water-front  748 
miles  long.^^  For  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1913,  New  York's  share  of  the  United 
States  imports  was  58  per  cent,  of  the  total 
amount  imported.^^  Figures  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30, 1913,  show  that  the  value 
of  New  York's  exports  was  $917,935,988, 
about  thirteen  times  that  of  Boston's  exports 
for  the  same  period.  These  three  facts  epito- 
mize the  immensity  of  New  York's  com- 
merce. 

Various  influences  have  combined,  however, 

21  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  II,  no.  30,  page  7. 

22  Greater  New  York,  Vol.  II,  no.  29,  page  7. 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  251 

to  make  insecure  New  York's  commercial  su- 
premacy, and,  unless  material  changes  can  be 
effected  to  relieve  congested  conditions  along 
the  water-front,  and  to  provide  modern  facili- 
ties for  the  transfer  of  freight  from  steamers 
to  railroads,  there  is  grave  danger  that  New 
York  will  lose  much  of  its  commerce.  Just 
as  in  Boston  we  found  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce leading  in  port  development,  so  in  New 
York  the  Merchants'  Association  and  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce  have  worked  un- 
tiringly to  convince  the  local  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  the  Dock  Commissioners  that  the 
need  for  prompt  action  is  imperative. 

At  the  present  time  only  one  railroad,  the 
New  York  Central,  has  been  able  to  extend  its 
freight  tracks  on  Manhattan  Island.  These 
tracks  run  from  Spuyten  Duyvil  to  Canal 
Street,  most  of  the  distance  along  the  west  side 
water-front  at  grade.  The  seven  other  rail- 
roads entering  the  west  side  of  the  city  have 
their  main  freight  terminals  at  Jersey  City  and 
Hoboken  and  bring  their  freight  cars  across 
to  New  York  on  floats.  This  necessitates  these 
companies  occupying  28^/2  of  the  72  piers  on 
the  congested  portion  of  the  west  side  water- 


252      AMERICAN  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE 

front  extending  from  Thirtieth  Street  to  the 
Battery,  Obviously,  this  condition  should  be 
remedied. 

The  Merchants'  Association,  the  Citizens' 
Plan  to         Union,  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  have  ex- 

B-elieve  i     •         .      « 

Congestion  prcsscd  thcmsclvcs  as  being  m  favor  of  a  plan 
providing  for  an  elevated  freight  railway  along 
the  marginal  way  from  Sixtieth  Street  to  Ful- 
ton Street.  At  various  points,  this  plan  pro- 
vides for  terminal  buildings  for  the  joint  use 
of  the  railroad  companies.  The  terminal 
buildings  would  then  be  connected  by  means  of 
freight  viaducts  with  a  single  water  ter- 
minal to  which  railroad  cars  would  be  brought 
on  floats  from  the  Jersey  side.  This  plan 
would,  if  executed,  release  all  of  the  twenty- 
eight  piers  now  used  by  the  railroads  and  make 
room  for  steamships  which  are  already  ham- 
pered by  inadequate  accommodations.^^  The 
Legislature  has  recently  passed  three  acts  de- 
signed to  make  the  plan  effective  and  the  civic 
and  commercial  bodies  in  New  York  are  en- 

23  Arthur  C.  Ludington,  "The  New  York  Water  Terminals." 
National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page  87. 

See  magazine  section  N.  T.  Times,  page  5,  Sunday,  July 
36,  1914,  "City's  Piers  for  Huge  Ships  WiU  Soon  Be  Finished." 


COMPETITION  BETWEEN  CITIES  253 

deavoring  to  promote  the  much-needed  im- 
provements in  every  possible  manner. 

The  history  of  commercial  organizations  in 
this  country  shows  struggle  and  achievement,  a 
realization  of  the  power  of  co-operative  effort, 
and  the  applying  of  this  power  to  things  worth 
while.  "We  need  more  than  anything  else," 
it  has  been  said,  "something  to  create  a  sense  of 
a  city,  a  feeling  of  unity  and  dependence,  of 
common  obligation  and  purpose."  The  true 
function  of  the  modern  chamber  of  commerce 
has  never  been  more  aptly  phrased. 


4- 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX  "A" 

The  following  statistics  have  been  compiled  from  the 

government    publication^    Commercial  and   Agricultural 

Organisations  in  the  United  States.^  The  first  colmaan 
gives  the  approximate  number  of  commercial  bodies  in 

each  State.  In  the  second  column  is  shown  by  States 
the  number  of  commercial  bodies  which  include  civic 
work  among  their  activities. 

State                                       Total  Civic  work 

Alabama    35  30 

Arizona    11  10 

Arkansas   44  39 

California     160  125 

Colorado    80  65 

Connecticut     44  36 

Delaware     2  1 

District  of  Columbia   4  2 

Florida     48  -  45 

Georgia    43  34 

Hawaii,   Territory    2  1 

Idaho 23  21 

Illinois    171  134 

Indiana    101  85 

Iowa     122  111 

Kansas     61  45 

Kentucky     , 48  42 

Louisiana     35  25 

Maine     42  40 

Maryland     24  16 

Massachusetts    93  72 

1  Above,  47. 

267 


258  APPENDIX 

State  Total  Civic  work 

Michigan    63  51 

Minnesota    HO  97 

Mississippi     34  29 

Missouri     132  84 

Montana    14  12 

Nebraska     ...101  71 

Nevada    3  3 

New  Hampshire    17  17 

New  Jersey    43  36 

New  Mexico  18  10 

New   York    165  115 

North  Carolina   54  '  39 

North  Dakota   41  41 

Ohio    114.  84 

Oklahoma    83  62 

Oregon     28  21 

Pennsylvania    170  113 

Philippines    • 1  1 

Porto  Rico   1  0 

Rhode  Island   12  10 

South  Carolina 30  29 

South  Dakota    22  20 

Tennessee    45  33 

Texas    187  138 

Utah     30  25 

Vermont    17  14 

Virginia     56  36 

Washington     43  25 

West  Virginia  31  24 

Wisconsin    58  42 

Wyoming 14  13 

Summary     2930  2274 


APPENDIX  259 

APPENDIX  "B" 

On  September  15,  1913,  the  New  York  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research  wrote  ^  to  the  secretaries  of  the  fol- 
lowing commercial  organizations: 

Baltimore  Merchants  &  Manufacturers  Assn. 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 
BuiFalo  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 
Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Denver  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Detroit  Board  of  Commerce 
Indianapolis  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Jersey  City  Board  of  Trade 
Kansas  City  (Mo.)  Commercial  Club 
Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Louisville  Commercial  Club 
Milwaukee  Merchants  &  Manufacturers  Assn. 
Minneapolis  Civic  &  Commerce  Association 
Newark  Board  of  Trade 
New  Orleans  Association  of  Commerce 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce 
New  York  Merchants*  Association 
Philadelphia  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Portland  (Ore.)  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Providence  Board  of  Trade 
Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce 
St.  Louis  Business  Men's  League 
St.  Paul  Association  of  Commerce 
San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce 
2  Above,  137. 


260  APPENDIX 

Seattle  Chamber  of  Cammerce 
Washington  Chamber  of  Commerce 

and 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  U.  S.  A. 

The  following  is  an  excerpt  from  the  letter: 
"From  time  to  time  our  advice  is  asked  with  respect 
to  organizing  chambers  of  commerce,  boards  of  trade, 
etc.  Of  course,  our  own  special  interest  is  in  the  ques- 
tion whether  or  not  a  chamber  of  commerce  should  con- 
cern itself  with  matters  which  fall  under  the  head  of 
municipal  research,  i.e.,  methods  of  municipal  budget 
making,  surveys  of  city  departments,  reports  upon  forms 
of  organization,  efficiency  bureaus,  cost  accounting,  etc. 
You  will  place  us  much  in  your  debt  if  you  will  care 
to  advise  us  .  .  .  which  five  organizations  mentioned  in 
the  accompanying  list  of  thirty  (enumerated  above)  you 
would  rank  first  with  respect  to  (a)  the  accomplishment 
of  results  for  the  community's  general  commercial  and 
civic  spirit  and  (b)  success  in  influencing  individual 
members  to  express  public  spirit  and  to  interest  them- 
selves in  efficient  citizenship.  .  .  .  We  shall  regard  your 
communication  as  strictly  confidential  but  would  like  the 
privilege  of  using  the  summary  of  the  votes,  whether  in 
writing  requests  for  information  to  individual  bodies,  in 
commenting  upon  it  in  addresses  or  papers,  or  possibly 
in  use  in  one  of  our  Efficient  Citizenship  bulletins  deal- 
ing with  this  general  subject." 

Twenty-seven  replies  to  this  letter  were  received,  of 
which  twenty-three  submitted  votes.  The  results  are 
shown  on  the  accompanying  tables. 


APPENDIX 


261 


Standing  with  Respect  to  the 
Question  (a)       Votes 

Clieveland     19 

Chicago    17 

Boston    16  , 

Detroit    11 

N.  Y.  Merchants'  Assn...     8 

Minneapolis     6 

Kansas   City    5 

New    Orleans    5 

Los   Angeles    3 

Rochester     3 

San   Francisco    3 

Seattle    ^ 

Baltimore     1 

Portland    , I 

St.  Louis    1 

Washington     1 


Total  Number  of  Votes. 

Question   (b)       Votes 

Cleveland     19 

Chicago     15 

Boston    14 

Detroit     6 

Kansas  City    6 

Minneapolis     6 

Rochester     6 

Los  Angeles    4 

New  Orleans    4 

N.  Y.  Merchants'  Assn..      4 

Buffalo 3 

Cincinnati    3 

Baltimore     

Denver    

Louisville     

Newark     

N.  Y.  Ch.  of  Com 

Philadelphia    

St.  Louis    

San   Francisco    

Seattle    


262 


APPENDIX 


«  -IH.S^  «  ^  o  5 


•*  CO  CO  (Ml 


S  O  eo  O       "ZiH  ® 
■^eCNNCJrHT-tr-l 

5 


|ll-3>;i|^|| 

eOCQOC)P)iHi-lrm-4l-l 


13 
eS 

-*a        O  S  »-i  "  5o  ® 


a       ^  o  <S  eS  ©>l  J 
•-   (»  O  O   3^^     .^ 


«2 


III  j  §11^1  I'^.igJ 

OQ(OCOCQOCIiHT-liHi-4f-IHiH 


ra         *-' ©  o  »4 

a  o        5  as 

t>    eO  CO  N  N  fH  H  iH  tH 


>;.2  00  V  fl 

»0'<!l<COWiH 


.a 
Sg 

K 

s«    o 

to  —A        ^ 
O  00  t- Tjt  CO  N  H  rt  H  H  i-<  rH  rH  TH  rH 


^  60 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

BOOKS 

American  Year  Book — 1913. 

Board  of  Trade  and  The  Produce  Exchange,  The,  JD.  H. 
Bisbee  and  /,  C,  Simonds. 
""^      Charter  and  By-Laws,  with  a  History  of  the  Chamber  of 

Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York  1855,  Charles  King. 
— ~- City  Building,  8.  U.  Clay, 

Colonial    Records   of   The    New   York    Chamber   op   Com- 
/'^^  merge,  /.  A.  SUvens. 

Commercial  Milwaukee,  1913  Year  Book  of  the  Merchants 

and  Manufacturers  Association. 
Earliest  Arbitration   Records  of  the   New  York  Chamber 

OF  Commerce,  published  by  the  Chamber. 
Government  of  European  Cities,  The,  W.  B.  Munre. 
^^i    Greater  Erie,  published  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 

Board  of  Trade  of  Erie,  Pa. 
^^->  •  Handbook  of  the  Port  of  Boston,  published  by  the  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce. 
History  of  the  Government  of  Denver,  The,  C  h.  King. 
Law  of  CbMMERCiAL  Exchanges,  The,  C.  A.  Legg. 
,_„.—-'  Making  of  a  Town,  The,  F.  L.  McVey. 
New  City  Government,  The,  H.  Brubre. 
New  England,  edited  by  Geo.  French,  published  by  the  Bos- 
ton Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Philadelphia  in  1830,  E.  L.  Carey  and  A.  Hart. 
Picture  of  Philadelphia,  The,  /.  Mease. 
Port  and  City  of  Philadelphla,  The,  F.  H,  Taylor  and  W, 
H.  8chof. 

pamphlets 

Abcerican  Commercial  Institutions,  W.  H.  Schof. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1848, 
Charles  King. 

265 


266  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

CiTT  Planning  and  Allied  Topics,  Select  List  of  Works 

Relating  to.  New  York  Public  Library,  1913. 

Course  in  Citizenship,  Syllabus  of  the,  Cornell  University, 
1913. 

Dayton,  Proposed  Charter  for  the  City  of.  Prepared  and 
Proposed  by  the  Charter  Commission. 

Harvard  University  Graduate  School  of  Business  Admin- 
istration, Pamphlet  and  Schedule  of  Courses,  1913. 

Miscellaneous  Series — No.  6b,  Promotion  of  Commerce,  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  1912. 

Miscellaneous  Series — No.  8,  Commercial  and  Agricultural 
Organizations  of  the  U.  S.,  Government  Printing  Office, 
1913. 

Municipal  and  Civic  Books,  Selected  List  of,  published  by 
The  American  City. 

Olean,  Proposed  Charter  for  the  City  of.  Proposed  by  the 
Citizens'  Charter  Committee. 
/~N»  Reading,  Pennsylvania.  Report  on  a  Survey  of  the 
Municipal  Departments  and  the  School  District.  Pre- 
pared for  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading  by  the 
New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  December  1913. 

Special  Agents  Series — No.  60.  Commercial  Organizations, 
by  E.   A.   Brand.    Government    Printing   Office,    1912. 

Special  Agents  Series — No.  78.  German  Commercial  Or- 
ganizations.    Government  Printing  Office,  1914. 

Special  Agents  Series — No.  79.  Commercial  Organizations 
in  Southern  and  Western  Cities.  G.  W.  Doonan. 
Government  Printing  Office,  1914. 
,^--%  Sumter  "City  Manager"  Plan  of  Municipal  Government, 
The,  published  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Sumter, 
S.  C,  1913. 

Vocational  Education,  What  Chambers  of  Commerce  Can 
Do  for,  a.  E.  Dodd  and  C.  A.  Prosser. 

periodicals 
» American  City,  The. 
Annals  of  the  American  Academy,  etc. 
^^^  Atlanta  Chamber  of  Commerce  Progress. 
Bankers'  Magazine. 
Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle. 
j^  Bulletin  of  the  Pan  American  Union, 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  267 

<^hamber  of  Commerce  Journal  (Boston). 

Chamber  of  Commerce  News   (Boston). 

Charities. 

Chautauquan. 

Chicago  Commerce. 

Chicago  Municipal  Development  Magazine. 

Current  A  fairs  (Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce). 
'  Daily  Consular  and  Trade  Reports. 

Detroiter,  The, 

Greater  Dayton. 

Greater  New   York   (N.  Y.  Merchants'  Association). 

Harper's  Magazine, 

Harper's  Weekly. 

Munsey's  Magazine. 

National  Municipal  Review, 

Nation's  Business,  The. 

New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin, 

New  York  Times. 

Outlook,  The. 
.Providence  Board  of  Trade  Journal. 

Putnam's. 

Review  of  Reviews  (U.  S.  edition). 

8an  Francisco  Chamber  of  Cormnerce  Journal. 

Scranton  Board  of  Trade  and  Engineering  Journal. 

Town  Development. 

Worcester  Magazine. 

World  To-day,  The. 

World's  Work,  The. 

ORGAinZATION   REPORTS 

Boston  Board  of  Trade,  1855,  1856,  1859. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911,  1912. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  Directors'  Report,   1913. 

Central   Association   of   Commercial   Secretaries — Proceedings 

of  Annual  Meetings,  1912,  1913. 
Committee  on  Standardization  of  Commercial  Organizations — 

First  and  Second  Reports. 
Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911,  1912,  1913,  1914.    See 

Footnotes,  Chapter  VII,  for  special  committee  reports. 
Madison  Board  of  Commerce — description  of,  undated. 
National  Board  of  Trade,  1868,  1878,  1911. 


268  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

National  Council  of  Commerce — Proceedings  of  First  Meet- 
ing, 1907,  and  of  First  Annual  Meeting,  1908. 

National  Municipal  League  reports  on  (1)  City  Government 
by  Commission,  National  Municipal  Review,  Vol.  I,  page 
40;  (2)  The  Coming  of  the  City-Manager  Plan,  National 
Municipal  Review,  Vol.  Ill,  page  44. 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research — Six  Years  of  Muni- 
cipal Research  for  Greater  New  York — 1912.  Also: 
Bureau's  Training  School  for  Public  Service,  1912,  1913. 

Newark  Board  of  Trade,  1903. 

Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade,  1889. 
.Port  of  Boston,  1912  Report  of  the  Directors  of  the. 

Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1912,  1913. 


INDEX 


Accident  prevention,  50. 

Advertising,  civic,  232. 

Agriculture,  49. 

American  Association  of 
Commercial  Executives, 
Committee  on  standardiza- 
tion, 83;  consolidation,  131. 

American  City,  The,  82,  126, 
128,  133,  194,  210,  218,  235, 
236,  239. 

American  Commercial  Insti- 
tutions, 31,  41,  45,  75. 

Arbitration,   50. 

Arbitration  committees,  Bos- 
ton Board  of  Trade,  26; 
Phila.  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 31. 

Arnold,  Mayor  of  Denver, 
199. 

Associated  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce of  N.  Y.  State,  46. 

Associations  for  the  Non-Im- 
portation of  English  Goods, 
14. 

Atlanta  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 172. 

Bankers*  Magazine,  15. 

Baltimore  Merchants  and  Man- 
ufacturers Association,  259. 

Batterson,  E.  S.,  210. 

Bennett,  J.  W.,  176. 

Board  of  trade,  city's  garri- 
son, 231;  civic  field  limited, 

269 


209;  committees,  216;  con- 
structive work,  216;  defined, 
7;  distribution  in  U.  S.,  47; 
English,  7;  existing  as  unit, 
55;  first,  6;  history,  6;  name 
in  East,  47;  number,  1858, 
42. 

Board  of  Trade  and  the  PrO' 
duce  Exchange,  The,  6. 

"Boards   of  Trade,  etc.,"  43. 

Boldt,   Sec.   Adolph,  211. 

Bond-issue,  Oklahoma  City, 
226. 

Bonus-giving  discountenanced, 
240. 

Boston  Associated  Board  of 
Trade,  30. 

Boston  Board  of  Trade,  com- 
mittee on  shipwrecks,  27; 
membership,  28 ;  organized 
1854,  26;  recommended  U. 
S.  Board  of  Trade,  56;  re- 
ports, 26,  27,  29. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  1836,  dissolution 
proposed,  25;  organized,  24. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Conmierce 
of  1885,  30. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  1909,  active  in  Interna- 
tional Congress,  247;  build- 
ing, 30;  by-laws,  127;  city 
garbage,  203;  city  planning, 
218;  civic  work,  198;  com- 


270 


INDEX 


bines  organizations,  30 ; 
commercial  secretary,  127 ; 
committee  on  conventions, 
238;  consolidation,  30;  co- 
operation in  New  England, 
249;  Directors'  report,  239, 
245 ;  emphasizing  relation 
of  city  to  country,  250; 
European  tour,  247;  Hand- 
hook  of  the  Port  of  Boston, 
246;  New  England,  249;  or- 
ganizing New  England,  248; 
port  development,  243;  re- 
organization of  National 
Board  of  Trade  attempted, 
62;  reports,  239,  244,  247; 
seal,  30;  South  American 
Embassy,  248 ;  waterfront 
Improvement,   243. 

Boston  drydock,  245. 

Boston  garbage  contract,  203. 

Boston  Importing  Co.,  23. 

Boston  mercantile  associa- 
tions, 22. 

Boston  Movement,  Port  of, 
242. 

"Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Garbage 
Contract,   The,"   205. 

Boston  Chamber  of  CoTnr 
merce  Journal,  30. 

Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 
News,  129,  205. 

Boston  Commercial  Exchange, 
30. 

Boston  Industrial  Develop- 
ment Co.,  236. 

Boston  mercantile  associa- 
tions, 22. 

Boston  Merchants'  Associa- 
tion, 30. 


Boston  Produce  Exchange,  30. 

Brand,  E.  A.,  76. 

Brown,  Mayor,  Kansas  City, 
199. 

Brufere,  Henry,  123,  194,  195, 
209,  221. 

Bryce,  Hon.  James,  188. 

Buffalo,  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 259;  growth  of,  138. 

Buffalo   Bayou,   222. 

Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Do- 
mestic Commerce,  45,  75. 

Bureau  of  Manufactures,   7G. 

Bureaus,  industrial,  234. 

Burks,  Dr.  J.  D.,  172. 


California,  Development 
Board,  46 ;  Manufacturers' 
and  Producers'  Association, 
46 ;  Promotion  Committee, 
46;  State  Board  of  Trade, 
46. 

Central  Association  of  Com- 
mercial Secretaries,  Pro- 
ceedings, 114,  120,  129,  130, 
134;   consolidation,   131. 

Chamber  of  commerce,  com- 
posite of  city's  intelligence, 
215;  defined,  7;  distribution 
in  U.  S.,  47;  European,  7; 
evolution,  43;  existing  as 
unit,  55;  first,  5;  first  in  U. 
S.,  11;  functions,  81;  Ger- 
man, 5;  history,  6;  in  poli- 
tical evolution,  173;  name 
in  East,  47;  numbers  in 
U.  S.,  41,  42. 

"Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
the  People,  The,"  239. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 


INDEX 


271 


State  of  New  York,  1848, 
13. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
U.  S.  A.,  committees,  69; 
federal  charter  sought,  65, 
66;  functions,  67;  National 
Board  of  Trade  not  con- 
nected with,  63;  oflScial  or- 
gan, 70;  organized  1912,  62; 
purpose,  64;  Wheeler,  Ex- 
Pres.,  43. 

Charities,  50. 

Charlestown  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 41. 

Charter  and  By-laws  with  a 
History  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  12,  21. 

Cherington,  P.  T.,  44,  120. 

Chicago  Association  of  Com- 
merce, 125,  259. 

Chicago  Bureau  of  Public  Ef- 
ficiency, 133. 

Cincinnati,  Hamilton  aided  by, 
206 ;  population  compared, 
138. 

Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 239,  259. 

City  Board  of  Advisers,  Den- 
ver, constituted,  199;  dis- 
continued, 199. 

City  Building,  128,  129. 

City  manager  plan,  Dayton, 
185;  Lockport,  178;  Clean, 
180;   Sumter,  180. 

"City  Manager  Plan,  The," 
187. 

City  planning,  217,  219. 

Civic,  advertising,  232;  bibli- 
ography, 221 ;  Center,  Cleve- 
land, 157;  field  limited,  209. 


Clapp,  E.  J.,  245. 

Clay,  S.  H.,  128,  129. 

Clendening,   E.   M.,   202. 

Cleveland  Board  of  Trade, 
committee,  141;  now  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  139;  ob- 
jects, 139. 

Cleveland  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, best  civic  organiza- 
tion, 137,  261 ;  building  dedi- 
cated 1899,  142;  coal  steal- 
ing report,  154;  Havens, 
Sec,  83,  84,  123,  137,  147, 
159,  162;  model  of  efficiency, 
139;  plan  of  Investment 
Co.,  165;  represents  busi- 
ness interests,  144;  Ritchie, 
Sec,  138,  140,  141,  146; 
Scott,  Sec,  147;  structure, 
145;  study  of  new  charter, 
161;  support  of  group  plan, 
157. 

"Cleveland  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, The,"  144. 

Cleveland  city  charter,  161. 

Cleveland  civic  center,  157. 

Cleveland  Electric  League, 
145. 

Cleveland  Federation  for 
Charity  and  Philanthropy, 
147. 

Cleveland  growth  in  popula- 
tion, 138. 

Cleveland  industrial  develop- 
ment, 164. 

Cleveland  Real  Estate  Board, 
145. 

Cleveland  South  End  Board 
of  Trade,  144. 

Cleveland  West  Side  Cham- 
ber of  Industry,  144. 


272 


INDEX 


"Cleveland's  Education  Thru 
Its  Chamber  of  Commerce," 
146. 

"Cleveland's  Federated  Giv- 
ers," 148. 

Colonial  History  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 13. 

Commerce  not  oflScially  repre- 
sented, 55. 

Commercial  and  Agricultural 
Organizations  in  the  U.  8., 
78,  257. 

Commercial  clubs,  distribution 
in  U.  S.,  47. 

Commercial  Milwaukee,  234. 

Commercial  organizations,  by 
states,  257 ;  characteristic 
names,  47;  civic  functions, 
257;  evolution,  43;  federa- 
tion, 56;  functions,  49;  his- 
tory in  3  periods,  117;  N. 
Y.  Chamber  oldest,  11; 
numbers  of,  45,  46;  pro- 
totypes, 3 ;  publications, 
129 ;  represented  officially, 
197. 

Commercial,  Organizations,  77, 
232,  234. 

"Commercial  Organizations  in 
Social  Welfare,"   177. 

Commercial  Organizations  in 
Southern  and  Western 
Cities,  78,  173,  210,  232. 

Commercial  Secretary,  Har- 
vard courses,  119;  profes- 
sion, 118;  Taft,  Pres.  on, 
118;  training,  118;  work, 
127. 

Commission  government,  citi- 
zen participation,  194;  Des 


Moines,  175;  efficient  from 
business  standpoint,  193; 
Galveston,  175;  Haverhill, 
176;  Oklahoma  City,  225; 
participating  plan,  196 ; 
popular  rule  provisions,  194 ; 
report,  National  Municipal 
League,  193;  St.  Paul,  175; 
sensitive  to  public  will,  174; 
Topeka,  176;  see  also:  City 
Manager  Plan. 

Committees,  arbitration,  26, 
32;  benevolent  associations, 
148;  coal  thefts,  154;  con- 
ventions, 238;  group  plan, 
157;  housing,  142;  indus- 
trial, 235;  municipal  art, 
160;  public  affairs,  216; 
shipwreck,  27;  standardiza- 
tion of  commercial  organi- 
zations, 83. 

Commonwealth  Pier,  245. 

Consular  reform,  141. 

Conventions,  annual  number, 
238;  committee  on,  238; 
Ritchie  on,  239. 

Co-operation,  city  with  com- 
mercial bodies,  197;  civic 
clubs  with  conunercial 
bodies,  209;  invited  by  city 
officials,  197. 

"Co-operation  of  Commercial 
Organizations  with  the 
Press,"  129. 

"Co-operation  of  Municipal 
Authorities  with  Commer- 
cial Organizations,"  202. 

Cornell  course  in  citizenship, 
122. 

Cruger,  John,  12,  13,  15. 

Current  A  fairs,  129. 


INDEX 


273 


Dayton,  Proposed  CharUr  of 
the  City  of,  186. 

Dayton  Bureau  of  Municipal 
Research,  185. 

Dayton  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 185. 

**Dayton  Charter,  Defects  in 
the,"   186. 

Dayton  Charter  Commission, 
185. 

Dayton  City  Manager,  186. 

Deland,  Sec.  Thorndike,  130. 

Denver,  The  History  of  the 
Oovemment  of,  198. 

Denver  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 199,  259. 

Denver  City  Board  of  Ad- 
visers, 199. 

Department  of  Commerce,  76. 

Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,  45,  62. 

Des  Moines  commission  gov- 
ernment, 175. 

Detroit,  growth  of,  138. 

Detroit  Board  of  Commerce, 
secretary  of,  259;  transpor- 
tation school,  126. 

Directors  of  the  Port  of  Bos- 
ton, 244. 

Doonan,  G.  W.,  78. 

Douglas,  W.  H.,  63. 

Drydock,  Boston,  245. 

Duluth  Commercial  Club,  216. 

Earliest  Arbitration  Records 
of  the  N.  Y.  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  15. 

"Efficiency  Standards  in  Mu- 
nicipal Management,"   172. 

English  Board  of  Trade,  6, 
56. 


Eva,  H.  v.,  217. 

Fairs,  3. 

Federal  Government,  55. 

Federation  movement,  53. 

Fesler,  Mayo,  210. 

Fire  prevention,  50. 

Fitton,  Pres.,  206. 

Fitzgerald,  Mayor,  247. 

Ford,  G.  B.,  218. 

Foreign  trade,  50. 

Fraley,  Frederick,  31,  34,  35, 
231. 

Functions  of  commercial 
bodies,  46,  49;  also  see:  ad- 
vertising, civic;  arbitration; 
board  of  trade;  chamber 
of  commerce;  city  planning; 
commercial  organizations ; 
commercial  secretary;  com- 
mittees ;  conventions ;  co- 
operation; federation  move- 
ment ;  industrial  bureaus, 
and  development ;  sanita- 
tion; standardized  by-laws; 
structural  principles ;  and 
traffic  bureaus. 

Galveston  commission  govern- 
ment, 175. 

Garbage  contract,  Boston,  203. 

Garfield,  H.  A.,  141,  173. 

German  municipal  govern- 
ment, 177. 

Government  of  European 
Cities,  The,  178. 

Greater  Dayton  Association, 
185,  187. 

Greater  Erie,  219. 

Greater  New  York,  113,  129, 
235,  250. 


274 


INDEX 


Guild,  J.  M.,  134. 

Guilds,  4. 

Guthrie,  city  of,  225. 


Industrial  development,  51, 
234. 

Industrial  and  Educational 
Exhibition,  349. 

Industries,  50. 

Initiative,  see  commission  gov- 
ernment, popular  rule  pro- 
visions. 

ress  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce, 
Boston  Chamber  active  in, 
247;  functions,  71. 


Hamilton   Chamber   of   Com- 
merce, 205. 
Harper's  Weekly,  144. 

Harvard   secretarial  training,      ,   .         '.'      ,      ^ 

°       International      Cong 
119.  ^ 

Havens,  Sec.  Munson,  83,  84, 

123,  137,  147,  159,  162. 
Haverhill    Board    of    Trade, 

176. 
Haverhill  commission  govern-      Jersey  City  Board  of  Trade, 

ment,  176.  259. 

"History    of   the    New   York      Johnson,       Pres.       Cleveland 

Chamber  of  Commerce,"  22.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  173. 

Home  rule  amendment,  185. 
Houston    Chamber    of    Com-      Kansas  City  Commercial  Club, 


merce,  222. 
Houston  Ship  Channel,  221. 
"Houston     Ship     Channel    in 

Epitome,  The,"  224. 


201,  259. 
Kansas  City  Mayor's  Cabinet, 

199. 
Kellaway,  H.  J.,  205. 


'How  Dayton's  City  Manager      King,  Charles,  12,  14,  16,  17, 


Plan  Is  Working,"  187. 
'How  The  Chamber  of  Com- 


18,  21. 
King,  Clyde  L.,  198. 


merce  of   Hamilton  Met  a      Kittredge,  C.  M.,  199. 
Great  Emergency,"  206.  "Know  Your  Own  City,"  131. 

Howe,  F.  C,  146. 

Lockport     Board    of    Trade, 

178 
"Ideal  Relations  Between  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and      ^os  Angeles  Chamber  of  Com- 

merce,  259. 


the  Municipal  Government," 
211. 

"Increasing  the  Effectiveness 
of  Commercial  Organiza- 
tions," 128. 

Indianapolis  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 259. 

Industrial  bureaus,  234. 


Louisville    Commercial    Club, 

259. 
Low,  Pres.  Isaac,  13,  16,  17. 
Ludington,  A.  C,  252. 

McVey,  F.  L.,  175,  177,  232. 
Magistrat,  177. 


INDEX 


275 


Making  of  a  Town,  The,  175, 
177,  232. 

Manchester    Ship    Canal,   222. 

Mayor's  Cabinet,  199. 

Mead,  S.  C,  81. 

Mease,  Dr.  James,  33. 

Members'  Council,  113. 

Merchant  guilds,  4. 

Milwaukee  Merchants  and 
Manufacturers  Association, 
233,  259. 

Minneapolis  Civic  and  Com- 
merce Association,  259. 

"Modern  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, The,"  137,  138,  215. 

Moore,  W.  B.,  227. 

Municipal  government,  Ger- 
man, 177. 

Municipal  reference  bureaus 
and  libraries,  132. 

Munro,  W.  B.,  178. 

Murdoch,  G.  H.,  194,  195,  196. 

Nagel,  Sec,  62. 

National  Association  of  Com- 
mercial Organization  Secre- 
taries, 85,  132. 

National  Board  of  Trade,  56. 

"National  Board  of  Trade, 
The,"  58. 

National  Business  League,  45. 

National  Commercial  Confer- 
ence, 62. 

National  Council  of  Com- 
merce, 59. 

National  Council  of  Conv- 
Tnerce,  60. 

National  Municipal  League, 
193. 

National  Municipal  Review, 
82,  138,   154,   172,   173,   174, 


176,  186,  189,  193,  215,  221, 
252. 

Nation's  Business,  The,  44,  64, 
65,  66,  69,  70,  72,  73,  85, 
120,  131,  133,  171,  172,  177, 
189,  221,  227,  235,  244,  246. 

Newark  Board  of  Trade,  240. 

New  City  Government,  The, 
123,  194,  195,  209,  221. 

New  England,  37,  232,  249. 

New  England  Business  Fed- 
eration, 45. 

New  England  Society  for  the 
Promotion  of  Manufactures 
and  Mechanic    Arts,   23. 

New  Haven  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 41. 

New  Orleans  Association  of 
Commerce,  259. 

New  York  Bureau  of  Mu- 
nicipal Research,  Atlanta 
survey,  172;  history,  132; 
Reading  survey,  173;  Train- 
ing School,  123;  votes  for 
best  organization,  259. 

New  York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, arbitration  commit- 
tee, 15;  charters,  15,  18; 
commercial  education,  126; 
founding,  12 ;  membership, 
17,  18;  oldest  in  U.  S.,  11; 
one  of  4  in  U.  S.,  1801,  41; 
periods  in  Colonial  history, 
15,  17,  19;  policy  conserva- 
tive, 19;  port  improvement, 
251;  present  location,  20; 
removals,  13,  17,  19;  seal, 
20. 

New  York  Citizens'  Union, 
251. 

New  York  City,  exports  1913, 


276 


INDEX 


^50;  freight  terminals,  251; 
imports,  250. 

New  York  Merchants*  Asso- 
ciation, favors  terminal 
plans,  252;  industrial  com- 
mittee, 235;  Passaic  bridges, 
240;  port  improvement,  251; 
structural  form.  111. 

New  York  Municipal  Refer- 
ence Library,  133. 

New  York  Public  Library,  220. 

New  York   University,   126. 

"New  York  Water  Terminals, 
The,"  252. 

Ohio  State  Board  of  Trade, 
141. 

Oklahoma  City,  bond  issue, 
226;  capital  of  Oklahoma, 
225;  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 224;  growth  of,  224. 

"Oklahoma  City  Unique  in 
Nation,"  227. 

"Origin  of  Boards  of  Trade, 
The,"  22. 

"Origin  and  History  of 
Boards  of  Trade,  Cham- 
bers of  Commerce,  etc., 
The,"  31. 

Outlook,  The,  20,  146. 

Pamphlet  and  Schedule  of 
Courses,  Harvard  Graduate 
School  of  Business  Admin- 
istration, 120. 

Pan-American  States  Asso- 
ciation, 45. 

"Participating  Commission 
Plan  of  Government,  A," 
194. 

Passaic  River  bridges,  240. 


Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade, 
Chamber  of  Commerce 
united  with,  33;  meetings, 
35;  organization,  34;  pres- 
ent location,  35;  speech  be- 
fore, 31,  231. 

Philadelphia  Bourse,  35. 

Philadelphia  Chamber  of 
Commerce — old.  Board  of 
Trade  united  with,  33;  early 
functions,  32;  efl&cient,  33; 
founded  1801,  31;  member- 
ship restricted,  33;  one  of  4 
in  U.  S.,  1801,  41. 

Philadelphia  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce— new,  36,  259. 

Philadelphia  Commercial  Ex- 
change, 37. 

Philadelphia  Commercial  Mu- 
seum, 74. 

Philadelphia  Corn  Exchange 
Association,  36. 

Philadelphia  in  1830,  33. 

Picture  of  Philadelphia,  The, 
33. 

Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 42,  259. 

Pittsburgh's  population  com- 
pared, 138. 

Port  and  City  of  Philadelphia, 
The,  36. 

Port  of  Boston,  Directors  of 
the,  244. 

Port  of  Boston,  Handbook  of 
the,  246. 

Port  of  Boston  Movement, 
The,  242. 

Port  problems.  New  York's, 
250. 

Portland  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 2^59. 


INDEX 


277 


Produce  exchanges,  37. 
"Profession    of     Power     and 

Promise,"  128. 
Promotion  of  Commerce,  76. 
Providence   Board   of  Trade, 

259. 
"Public     Affairs     Committee, 

The,"  217. 
Public  baths,  143. 

Reardon,  E.  I.,  160. 

Recall — see  commission  gov- 
ernment, popular  rule  pro- 
visions. 

Redding,  L.  L.,  206. 

Referendum — see  commission 
government,  popular  rule 
provisions. 

ReUly,  J.  M.,  242. 

"Relations  of  Civic  and  Com- 
mercial Organizations  to 
Municipal  Government, 
The,"  210. 

Review  of  Reviews,  The,  148. 

Ricketson,  J.  H.,  43. 

Ritdiie,  Ryerson,  30,  82,  140, 
146. 

Robertson,  W.  F.,  184. 

Rochester  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 208,  259. 

Root,  Sec.  Elihu,  240. 


Sabine,  Lorenzo,  «,  22,  23,  24, 
25,  34,  35,  42. 

St.  Louis  Business  Men's 
League,  259. 

St.  Paul  Association  of  Com- 
merce, 175,  259. 

St.  Paul's  comptroller,  176. 

"St   Paul's   Comptroller:   An 


Interesting  •Experiment," 
176. 

San  Francisco  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  259. 

Sanitation,  50. 

SchofF,  W.  H.,  36,  45. 

Scott,  Sec,  147. 

Seattle  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
260. 

Secretary  defined,  133. 

Secretaries,  associations  of, 
131. 

Secretaries,  training  of,  118, 
131. 

Senate,  U.  S.,  45. 

South  American  Embassy, 
248. 

Standardization  committee 
personnel,  83,  84;  reports, 
83,  85. 

Standardized  by-laws,  83,  88, 

Stevens,  J.  A.,  13,  16,  17,  18. 

Structural  principles,  86. 

Sturgis,  W.,  24. 

Sullivan,  J.  J.,  144. 

Summary,  169. 

Sumter  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 182. 

Sumter  City  Manager,  184. 

Sumter  City  Manager  Plan  of 
Municipal  Government,  183. 

Syllabus  of  the  Course  in  Cit- 
izenship, 122. 

Taft,  Hon.  W.  H.,  62,  241, 242. 
Topeka  Commercial  Club,  176. 
"Town    Promotion    and    City 

Planning,"  210. 
Traffic  bureaus,  49. 
Training    School    for    Public 

Service,  123. 


278 


INDEX 


U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
see  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  the  U.  S.  A. 

U.  S.  Government  Board  of 
Trade  proposed,  56. 

Upson,  L.  D.,  186,  187. 

Upson,  W.  H.,  179. 

Waite,  H.  M.,  1S6. 
Washington  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 260. 


Wheeler,      Ex-Pres.      U.      S. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  43. 
Williams,  C.   W.,   152. 
Williams  College,  173. 
Wilson,  L.  E.,  128. 
Wilson,  W.  P.,  74. 
Wisconsin,  University  of,  133. 
World's    Work,    The,   48,    75, 

156,  187. 
Worthington,  M.  M.,   183. 
Wreford,  W.  B.,  129. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
"  on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  .mmediate  recall. 


REC'D  LD^ 


— ia 


iH 


yl\ 


8  19718 


— 72-^*^^^*^^ 


LD  2lA-60m-4,'64 
(E4555b10)476B 


General  Library     , 
University  of  California 
Berkeley 


I  U    ^D\   lU 


298906 


Hf 


1 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAWFORNIA  IvIBRARY 


